


Secrets Left to Tell

by IJM



Category: General Hospital
Genre: Attempted Murder, F/M, Reference to childhood abuse, major character illness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 20:22:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 25
Words: 21,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15202721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IJM/pseuds/IJM
Summary: Franco and Elizabeth’s happy life together is put in jeopardy.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Not for profit. No claim of ownership of characters.

I own nothing. No infringement intended. No compensation to be made. 

Chapter 1

The first thing he was aware of was pain--his back, his neck, his head. They were all telling him that something was wrong. Then there was the darkness. It was not frightening. If anything, he knew if he let the darkness take over, the pain would ease. But part of his mind told him he had to pull himself out of the murkiness. 

He tried to inhale, but found he could not control his own breaths. It was frightening. He became aware of his right hand. Something was different. He tried to wiggle his index finger. There was something there, a clamp of sorts. He knew that feeling, but it was distant. 

He tried to swallow and could not. His mouth was dry and he could not close his mouth because something was intruding and gagging him. He remembered Jim Harvey’s evil smile and was terrified. He tried to reach to get the thing out of his mouth, whatever it was, only to find that he could not move his arms. He panicked, feeling imprisoned by his past.

He let out a strangled cry that was heard only as a soft groan. He was aware of beeping as it intensified in volume and frequency. He had to open his eyes, but they were too heavy. He pulled against whatever was restraining him with more mental force than he could physically create. He had someone’s attention. Someone was calling his name from far away. 

“Franco, Franco, calm down. You’re safe.” He felt a comforting, trusted hand on his wrist. 

He tried to ask for Elizabeth, but that thing in his mouth wouldn’t let him speak. 

“It’s Kiki, You’re in the hospital. You had surgery.”

He pulled against the restraints, wondering why he was captive this way and where his wife was. 

Kiki rubbed his arm in a soothing manner. “Don’t hurt yourself. We had to restrain you so you wouldn’t rip out the vent. We can remove it now.”

He heard Kiki’s voice, but he still saw Jim Harvey. He was unaware of the tears streaking his cheeks. Kiki kept talking as the darkness threatened to envelop him again. 

The next thing he knew, that horrid thing was gone and he was aware of how dry. his mouth was. He moved his lips, trying to create some moisture or at least ask for help.

“You’re waking up again,” Kiki’s voice was much clearer. He opened one eye and saw a blurry blond figure in blue scrubs. “Let me help you,” she said. “These help with dry mouth.”

He couludn’t exactly tell what she was holding, but felt something touch his lips. He recoiled. “Dad, I’m trying to help. Please let me. Trust me.”

Maybe she wasn’t his biological daughter, but she was in every way that mattered. He trusted her and soon his mouth filled with a relieving liquid that tasted like bubblegum. 

“Eh--” was all he could say. 

“Elizabeth is fine.” Kiki assured him. “She’s in the the pediatric department with Imogene. She bumped her head in the fall, but she’s going to be fine. Elizabeth has been running herself ragged between the two of you, so I promised I would stay with you. I know you would want her to be with Genie as much as possible.”

Fall? He had no memory of any kind of fall. Had he done something tog hurt his and Elizabeth’s child?

“Fall?” he whispered.

“It’s a long story,” Kiki said. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t hurt Genie.”

Even in his confusion, he knew that a fall would have to be very serious to have him in surgery and the baby also in the hospital. He had noticed he was a bit unsteady lately. He wondered if he had fallen down the stairs. How could Kiki say that was not his fault? “Baby?” he asked, but his eyes were heavy and closed again.

“She’s going to be just fine. She is just being observed as a precaution. She misses her daddy.” Kiki hid the pang of jealousy that she felt that Franco was Imogene’s real father. 

He tried to open his eyes to thank Kiki, but the darkness was calling.

“I don’t think he remembers what happened,” Kiki said to Dr. Kevin Collins and Dr. Griffin Munro who were observing the interactions as unobtrusively as possible. She had called them in when he showed the first signs of waking up. 

“Episodic memory loss is to be expected,” Griffin assured her. 

“I believe his long term memory will be in tact,” Kevin added. He had not failed to notice the terror and tears as Franco tried to remove the vent tube, but he said nothing about it. As he had suspected, there were things that Jim Harvey had done to Franco when he was very young that he had kept to himself. “He knew you, remembers Elizabeth and the baby.”

Elizabeth entered the room looking care worn, tired, and limp. She was dealing with much more than being a mother of an eight week old baby and three older boys. “He’s awake?” She saw that he wasn’t. She looked at Kevin, “You sent me a text…” 

”He woke up briefly, twice,” Kevin told her. “He wanted to know if you and the baby were okay.”

“Is he speaking in full sentences?” she asked. 

“Mostly syllables, but we could understand his concerns,” Griffin answered. “How is Imogene?”

“She’s fine. She’s going to be discharged and I’m going to move her to this room so we can all be together.” 

She saw that her husband was still restrained, even without the ventilator. She grasped the hand closest to her. “Take these off. Now.” she demanded. 

“We don’t want him to hurt himself,” Griffin explained. “If he tries to get up and falls or if he has another seizure, he could be in worse shape than he is now.”

Elizabeth leaned over the bed, kissing her husband’s eyelids and running her hand over his bandaged forehead. “He’s going to be okay,” she told them, as much for her benefit as theirs. She caught Kevin’s eye, seething. “I’m going to kill Jason Morgan”


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
“We need to get a statement from Mr. Baldwin about the incident,” Detective Harrison Chase told Dr. Kevin Collins. “We need to know what happened, if things went down like Jake explained.”  
  
“I’ll have to do a mental competency check before I will give you the green light on his ability to make a statement.”  
  
“I agree with Dr. Collins,” Dr. Munro added. “He just had brain surgery for the second time in a five years. He may not remember anything that can help clarify your case.”  
  
“I should be present when you speak to him,” Detective Chase insisted.  
  
“We have patient/doctor privilege that extends far beyond this,” Kevin argued. “If he discusses things beyond this investigation I am breaking his confidentiality.”  
  
“The commissioner insisted that no one put any stories in his mind that might affect his testimony,” Chase explained. “Given the parties involved, I think you can understand why she feels this way.  She wants a very clean investigation.“  
  
“This is a sticky situation,” Kevin argued. “He trusts me with information and if he doesn’t realize you were in the room, I violate his rights. It is seems to me the commissioner is more focused on protecting Jason Morgan than Franco Baldwin.”  
  
“I do not believe that is the situation at all,” Chase replied. “If anything, I think she is trying to protect Franco from Jason’s powerful connections. This is a criminal investigation.”  
  
“He’s not the criminal,” Kevin reminded the detective.  
  
To their surprise, Monica Quartermaine Chief of Staff, entered  the conversation. “Detective Chase can be in the room. He cannot report anything said that is unrelated to this incident.” She spoke with authority.  
  
“Franco has rights,” Kevin reminded her.  
  
“He’s not under investigation,” Monica conceded.  
  
“You are hardly impartial,” Kevin offered.  
  
“Patients always come first.” Monica sighed.  
  
“Even this patient?” Kevin asked skeptically.  
  
“Even this patient,” Monica nodded. “This may be the only way my son gets the help he needs.”


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
 Kevin and Chase entered the hospital room together. Franco was sleeping despite the noise of the various monitors that were keeping track of his heart rate, oxygen levels, and blood pressure. Elizabeth, who looked ragged, was curled into his arms on the bed oblivious to anything due to her exhaustion. Baby Imogene was just a few feet away in a bassinet sleeping peacefully.

Though he hated to wake her, Kevin called to Elizabeth softly. She opened her tired eyes.

“Detective Chase is here to try to question your husband,” Kevin told her. “However, I will be taking the lead as I need to establish his mental status at the moment.” 

“How is he going to recover if you start badgering him with questions?” Elizabeth pointedly asked to Chase. “He needs time to heal.” They had already been interrupted that morning when Griffin had checked on Franco. He told them that the vision problems were normal at this point and that he might have other symptoms based on the location of the tumor. 

“I mean no harm,” Chase told her. “Commissioner Ashford insisted that he was questioned as soon as possible. She is hesitant that someone may influence what he says otherwise. When she found out he had started waking up, she sent me right over.” 

“Awake and lucid are not the same thing,” Kevin almost snapped.

“Can’t you stop this?” Elizabeth asked Kevin. “He can’t be privy to your conversations with my husband.”

“Tell that to the chief of staff,” Kevin said.

“Oh, I will,” Elizabeth assured him.

Kevin shrugged his shoulders. “I can’t do anything to stop this.”

Elizabeth sighed. “Franco,” she said his name softly and stroked his cheek. His face was bruised from the stabilizing equipment used for the surgery. 

He opened his eyes, but they were glazed and unfocused. He reached for her blurry face, finally free from the restraints.

“Baby, Kevin and Detective Chase want to talk to you about what happened. Do you understand?” He blinked his eyes, indicating that he consented. She let him sip some water before Kevin started his mental status exam.

“Do you know who you are?” Kevin started.

He nodded and spoke his name.

“Do you know who I am?” Kevin asked.

“Dr. Collins,” Franco answered. 

“What year is it?”

He shrugged his shoulders as Kevin made a notation on his mobile device. 

“Do you know where you are?”

“Hospital.”

“Detective Harrison Chase is in the room too,” Kevin informed him.

“Good morning, Mr. Baldwin,” Chase offered politely.

Franco glanced in the direction of the voice, but the figure was blurry.

“Can you answer some questions?” Kevin asked.

He nodded again.

“I think the only important question is,” Kevin began, “What happened? What is the last thing you remember?”

Franco rubbed his hand over his head and fell bandages. “I couldn’t find it.” His words were slow and labored. He closed his eyes against the glaring light above.

What were you looking for?

“She sold—no—s—“ He opened his eyes, frustrated. “Took it.

Kevin made further notes. “Someone stole something.” He was careful to use the word Franco had been searching for as reinforcement. 

He nodded.

“What was stolen?”

“Mummy.”

“Your mommy?” Kevin ventured.

“Mum-my.” Franco repeated.

 Elizabeth, Kevin, and Chase exchanged perplexed glances.

“Mommy,” Kevin repeated.

Franco shook his head, “Egypt.”

“You were looking for a stolen Egyptian mummy,” Kevin clarified.

He nodded. Kevin looked to Elizabeth who raised her hands as if to say, “I don’t know.”

“Who stole it?” Kevin asked.

“The mop. She mops.”

“The janitor?” Kevin asked, once again noting he was having difficulty finding words.

Elizabeth just stared, confused. Detective Chase had stopped taking notes, realizing exactly what Dr. Collins meant when he said that being awake did not indicate being lucid. He briefly pondered what odd thoughts he might experience if someone were to open his head and dig around in his brain.

“The janitor stole the Egyptian mummy,” Kevin repeated for clarification.

Franco nodded.

“Where did it come from? I mean, after it left Egypt.”

“My aunt. I think I had an aunt... I’m not sure,” his voice trailed off. “Aunts are better than uncles.”

“Do you know her name?” Franco had never mentioned an aunt and certainly nothing he was saying was exactly coherent.

“Susan,” he ventured. “She stopped visiting when Andy went away. I think. Andy was my imaginary friend. Or he was real. I’m not sure. I had to keep him safe.”

“That’s Drew’s mother’s name,” Elizabeth whispered.

Not sure quite where to take the conversation, Kevin asked, “Did  your aunt Susan have other artifacts?”

Franco nodded.  “A lot of art.”

“From Egypt?”

“Asia, Europe, Prussia.”

“Where are those things now?”

“Hidden somewhere, I think. I’m afraid of mummies,” he rambled. I used to, “ he paused, “See  them in my sleep.”

“Why?”

“Uncle Jim,”  he whispered and drew a deep breath.

Kevin rubbed his eyes. There was fact somewhere in this conversation, but it had nothing to do with Jason. He turned to Chase, “Detective, he clearly isn’t lucid right now. Please step outside.”

“If I leave and he later starts telling the same story as Jake, Jason’s attorney will argue that he was coached.”

“I need to follow what he’s trying to tell me right now as my patient. This is not relevant to the criminal investigation at all.”

“He’s not making sense,” Elizabeth added. Though, and her heart, she was afraid there was more reality in his words than not.

“He’s telling me something.”

“But, Jim Harvey,”  she looked  from Kevin to Chase. The last thing Elizabeth believed it was best for her husband was for anyone to learn his secrets.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
Chase realized he really did not need to be in the room. However, as a new detective on the police force, he felt he had to follow protocol and instructions exactly. “If it makes you feel better, I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about,” Chase offered. “I am only here to bear witness if he discusses Jason Morgan and the specific incident under investigation.  I promise to ignore as much as I can.“  
  
Kevin looked to Elizabeth. She nodded her consent for him to continue. She traced Franco’s face softly, “It is going to be okay,” she promised.  
  
“What did Uncle Jim do to give you nightmares about mummies?”  
  
“Pictures. He made me look at pictures, everything, all dead things. Said he would do that stuff to my mom and Andy. Even when Andy left, he said he knew where he was and he would kill Andy and he would kill my mom and he would take me away. It was all my fault. I wasn’t a good boy. I am the reason Andy got sent away.”  
  
Elizabeth’s stomach was churning. Everything he said was making her feel sick. She held his hand for support and let him continue talking.  
  
“You were very brave and showed so much love for your mother and brother,” Kevin reminded him.  
  
Franco’s breath caught. Softly, he said, “There was tape.”  
  
Elizabeth was in tears.  Kevin found that the images being created in the story to be very disturbing, perhaps the worst he had ever encountered.  
  
“I thought I remembered everything,” he began to cry. “But then something will invade my mind and I think there can’t be anything more, but then there’s more and I’m scared. I don’t understand what’s real. I don’t want to remember anything else. Make it stop. Please,” he begged with his voice shaking.     “I don’t know if I’m lying. I don’t want to lie. I just don’t know if it’s real.”  
  
Elizabeth held his hand even tighter. If she could have absorbed the pain he was feeling into her own self, she would have done so in a heartbeat.  
  
Kevin felt a pang of sympathy. “Do you understand you could not control what Jim Harvey did to you?”  
  
“No,” Franco answered honestly. “He always said it was my fault. He said I made him do those things.  I had to obey him. It was the only way to save my family.“  
  
Kevin did something he usually would not do and took Franco’s other hand. “Jim Harvey was an evil manipulative bastard who tortured you emotionally and physically for years.  None of this was your fault. None of it. Do you understand? You were too young to be in any position of control.”  
  
 Kevin hesitated. He was not sure if this was the right time to press for more answers. At the same time, he was not sure his patient would ever be so forthcoming again. He knew the only way to get rid of the demons was to face them. “What did he do with the tape?”  
  
Franco’s pleading eyes asked if it was really okay to reveal the images in his mind.  
  
“I know it’s hard. Please tell me so I can help you.”  
  
“He went around and around so I couldn’t move my arms.” He whispered, “ then he put it over my mouth. He said he had something else in mind.”  
  
Elizabeth was on the brink of losing what composure she had. Her husband’s memories were torturing not only him but her as well.  
  
Kevin paused. He was not quite sure how to respond to this. It was beyond the scope of the horrors he had heard of child abuse before. “I can’t imagine the depth of your suffering. As difficult as this is, the only way to cope is to tell the truth, no matter how ugly it is,  and we will face it.”  
  
“I didn’t mean to lie.  I thought I remembered it all.”  
  
“I was not accusing you of lying,” Kevin clarified. “Repressed memories of trauma don’t usually come back at once. Your brain has a defense mechanism of giving you what you need or what you can handle a little at a time. It’s like opening a gate and letting one horse out at a time.”  
  
“No more horses, please,” he begged.  
  
“I can’t control it,” Kevin said. “But we can work through it.”  
  
Elizabeth was desperate to offer her husband some sort of solace. Without even thinking about it, she reached for the control of the morphine pump and hit it.  Within minutes, his eyes were closed. His breaths were steady. He had a respite of relief, at least for that moment.  She looked it Kevin, “No more. Not now.“ Franco could not handle it and neither could she.  
  
He nodded with understanding. This was one mental status exam that he knew he would never forget.


	5. Chapter 5

When Dr. Collins and Detective Chase left the hospital room, they found Jordan Ashford waiting for them expectantly.  
  
“What did you find out?” Jordan asked Chase.  
  
“Nothing relevant to the investigation,” he stated calmly.  
  
“You were in there an awfully long time to not find out anything,” Jordan replied with skepticism.  
  
“That’s my fault,” Kevin said. “I thought that if we could get him to talk for a while he would become more lucid.”  
  
“He didn’t say anything at all of relevance?”  
  
“He really wasn’t making sense,” Chase offered. “I mean, I’m not a psychiatrist or anything, but I’m pretty sure he was hallucinating. He was kind of, you know, all over the place. Like talking about art from Prussia which isn’t even a country anymore.”  
  
Kevin gave Chase a slight nod to acknowledge that he appreciated his effort to help maintain confidentiality. “He did not say anything at all about Jason or Jake. And, of course, I did not try to lead him in that direction beyond asking what was the last thing he remembered.”  
  
“Well,” Jordan asked, “What was the last thing he remembered?”  
  
“Just some dream he was having,” Kevin answered. “You know how dreams are—convoluted—they don’t really make sense.”  
  
Jordan sighed, disappointed.  
  
“However, I did note that he was having some trouble with aphasia, or calling words correctly.  That did show some improvement the more we spoke. It’s really not that unusual for someone who has had a brain tumor, particularly if it was near the Broca’s area.”  
  
“How are Elizabeth and the baby?”  
  
“Imogene is doing well. Elizabeth, not so much. She’s pretty wrecked right now.  She has an overwhelming amount of things to deal with. I think it’s really a good thing that Drew stepped in to take care of the boys.  They know him. They trust him. I’m sure he is shielding them as well as he can.“  
  
“Did I hear my name?” Drew approached the group gathered outside the room.  
  
“I was just saying that it was good you have been taking care of the boys. How are they?” Kevin asked, grateful for a way to lead the discussion away from anything Franco had said.  
  
“Making it as well as they can,” Drew answered. “We all stayed at Monica’s for a couple of days so I could arrange to get the blood cleaned off the floor before we went to their home. Forensics had to do whatever they do before I could get it cleaned. I think Jake is having a hard time with kids picking on him at school. He really could use Franco’s help right now. I don’t know if that’s ironic or just sad. Kiki is visiting as much as possible.”  
  
“What brings you by?” Kevin asked.  
  
“I want to check on Franco and see if he or Elizabeth need anything.”  
  
“A friend,” Kevin responded.  
  
Drew nodded and left the others to discuss mental status and such. He opened the door to the room and found Elizabeth cradling her husband and crying so fervently into his chest that she didn’t even notice the interruption. Franco was, he assumed, asleep; but he looked like hell. His head was covered in bandages and his face was black and blue.  
  
“Elizabeth,” he called her softly.  
  
She looked up and tried to catch her breath. She said his name and it seemed to make her cry even harder.  
  
Drew went to her and offered a hug. She fell into his shoulder, sobbing. “What’s wrong?” he asked, putting one arm around her. “Is Franco going to be okay?”  
  
It took her a couple of minutes to respond. “I don’t know. I don’t know if he’ll ever recover from what he’s been through.”  
  
“He can get through anything with you by his side.” Drew tried to comfort her.  
  
“I’m not sure he can,” Elizabeth whispered. “I’m not sure anyone could.”


	6. Chapter 6

“Let’s sit down,” Drew led Elizabeth to the uncomfortable seat that would accommodate two people. She sat, or more accurately, slumped into the seat. “First of all, your boys are okay and they are going to get through this. Now, tell me what’s going on.”

“I can’t,” her head was bowed, exhausted and defeated.

“Look, I don’t know what has happened while you’ve been in the hospital. But you can’t take on every everything on your own.”

She was silent.

“Do you think Franco would want you to shoulder all this pain you’re dealing with alone?”

“He would help me.”

“He appears to be unconscious and, from what I understand, there’s a possibility he has brain cancer.” Drew’s words were calm but delivered a harsh truth. “You have a baby, a husband who is not doing well, a traumatized son, and very few people you can actually lean on. Let me be one of those people. I care about both of you.”

The list of issues Elizabeth was facing weighed heavily on her when she heard them spoken out loud. And Drew was not even aware of what had her the most upset. “Do you really care about Franco?”

“Of course I do. I will owe him forever for what he did for me as a kid.”

“If you knew the scope of what he endured…” Her voice trailed off.

“Betsy said she sent me away because she believed Jim Harvey over her child. She said she let that man live with them for years before she realized what  he was doing.”

“Betsy is very good at telling half truths,” Elizabeth commented bitterly.

“I know he was molested. I mean, he never really talked about it, but he knows I know.”

She looked at him, tears welling in her already bloodshot eyes. “He loved you. He loved you so much.”

“Is there more to the story?”

“It’s not mine to tell,” she said. “That man was a monster. The devil himself.”

“Elizabeth,” he took her hand. “I want to help you and I want to help Franco. I’ve never told anybody what Jim Harvey did and I never will. If there’s anyone you can trust, it’s me.”

“I don’t want to betray Franco.”

“If there’s one thing I know about Franco, it’s that he loves with his whole self. He would put your needs above his.”

She nodded, “I know.” She looked at him and realized that Drew was right. He would not want her to carry her burdens alone.

“It’s me, Elizabeth. I’m part of this story. It’s not a betrayal.”

“Do you know when his frontal lobe was affected, it brought out this darkness. He could not control his thoughts or impulses or obsessions. Jim Harvey created that darkness.”

Drew let her unburden herself and listened even when he wanted to interrupt with a question.

“He was living in hell because of that man. He did not just touch him. He tortured him, threatened him, controlled him with violence and threats against your mom and you even after you were gone. He raped him, sodomized him, filled his head with images of death and threats and somehow made him believe it was all his fault, that he was born evil. Harvey killed everything that was Bobby. He exposed him to graphic images of death and threatened to do those things to you and Betsy all because he was a sexually deviant bastard who got his hands on a sweet, loving, impressionable child who had no support from anyone. He was violent and twisted and he created the hell that turned Bobby into Franco, serial killer.”

Drew was silent while he paid close attention as Elizabeth told him what she had learned.

“And the thing is, even with what Kevin and I know, I think there are horrors that his mind has not even let him access.”

Drew rubbed his hand over his face, disturbed. Betsy did not tell him and Franco never would have told him that Jim Harvey used him as leverage over his brother for years. He supposed it had been easy to think that when he went away, so did Franco’s compulsion to protect him. It was difficult to hear and difficult to accept. “We’ll get through it,” Drew promised. “We will  find a way. I know we can’t force him to talk to us, but I am damn sure going to force him to accept that I care, that it matters to me, and that it’s my turn to help him.”

Imogene started to stir. Elizabeth went to tend to her. Drew was amazed at how much one tiny woman was shouldering.

He followed Elizabeth to the bassinet and took Imogene. “Let me,” he offered. “If you will prepare her formula, I’ll feed her while you sleep. I’ll even take care of the stinky diaper while you get the formula ready.”

Elizabeth tried to smile. She could not quite manage to do it, but Drew noticed the effort and knew where he belonged for now.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
Elizabeth had not realized how completely exhausted she was until she woke up in the early hours of the morning the next day. The lights were off in the room, though the bathroom was dimly lit.  
  
She momentarily focused on the sound of the monitors. Everything told her Franco was stable. She eased off the bed so she wouldn’t disturb him and peeked in on Imogene only to find a note in the bassinet.  
  
“I have her, Love you. —Kiki.” Elizabeth smiled. Kiki had been so helpful. She also imagined that every female coworker was probably passing her daughter around pampering her like crazy. Imogene Baldwin was like the little princess of General Hospital. She was such a sweet baby that she tended to bring out the best in everyone.  
  
She saw two covered  trays of food that had been left for them. She was hungry and she couldn’t remember a time when Franco wasn’t hungry. She made a quick trip to the bathroom, came back, checked all the vital statistics for herself, and then lifted the lid of one of the trays. There were club sandwiches and chips, not exactly standard hospital fare. She got the feeling something had been prepared that would be fine even it was left untouched while she slept. If anything, this experience was making her feel like their coworkers cared about her and her husband.  
  
She looked at Franco and wondered what was going on inside his head. Were there more glioma cells? Was he dreaming about Jim Harvey or bodies of slaughtered animals and people?  
  
She loved him. She understood the medicine behind  his period of dark behavior. She had never imagined the psychological torment that set it in motion. She sat down to eat her sandwich. She would be sure to make Franco eat  something the next time he was awake.  
  
She took in the relative quiet. She needed it. It was nice that Drew had given her a break. There were so many questions about the future, so many things she needed to take care of.  
  
The boys wanted to see Franco, but she didn’t want to frighten them letting them see him in this condition.  
  
What would she do if he did have cancer? Of course, Jason and not caused the tumor, but he had certainly made things worse. She had hoped he would be sitting in a prison rotting, but, of course, he could make bail. Scotty had argued that he was a flight risk and a danger to others, but the best he could get the judge to agree to was a restraining order to keep Jason away from her family, including Jake, and mandatory anger management counseling. He would also be subject to random tox screenings to monitor his blood alcohol level.  
  
Her heart ached for Jake. He had never really warmed up to Jason because Jason never really spent any time with him. Jake showed little desire to spend any time with his biological father. He was much closer to his stepfather and even his uncle. And, despite Jason’s lack of effort in getting to know his son, it appeared that Jason was also resentful that Jake preferred their company to his. Elizabeth found Jason’s attitude to be one of complete arrogance. It was as if he expected his unwanted child to salivate for the few crumbs of time when he could be bothered to show up.  
  
In her mind, she went back to that morning when everything fell apart....


	8. Chapter 8

It had been a typical Saturday morning. Elizabeth’s maternity leave had ended and she was picking up an extra weekend shift to try to earn some extra money. Cam and Aiden had soccer practice and gone to the fields with a friend’s mother.  
  
Jake really did not care much for sports, so Jason was supposed to take him out for the day. Franco was taking care of Imogene. She laughed a little at the image of him playing Mozart in the kitchen while he gave her a bath. He was probably making up inappropriate words to the tune.  
  
She had been at the nurses station when Amy rushed to her. “I don’t know what happened. Franco, Jake, and Imogene are on their way to the hospital. Franco and Imogene are in the ambulance. Detective Chase is bringing Jake in his squad car.  
  
Elizabeth didn’t remember if she had even said anything to Amy. She dropped everything and ran down the stairs to the emergency department because it was faster than taking the elevator. Her mind raced with possibilities – fire, car accident, her house exploding again.  
  
She got to the emergency room doors as the first EMTs brought a stretcher in. Franco was strapped down. The entire top of his body was covered in blood and she heard one of the doctors who met the paramedics telling a nurse to start an IV with 5 mg of diazepam. She knew that was the procedure when a patient came in at status epilepticus. Her mind was racing. She didn’t have time to see exactly what was happening with Franco because another paramedic came in with tiny Imogene shouting, “Eight week old female, possible head trauma.”  
  
She ran to the paramedic. “She’s my baby,” she said reaching for her. Elizabeth felt like she was trying to swim through molasses. Everything was moving at a pace she couldn’t keep. The doctor took Imogene before she could.  
  
At the same time, Chase escorted Jake in and he was sobbing and covered in blood, but apparently not injured. Jake ran to her and threw his arms around her.  
  
“What happened?” she asked anyone who would answer. The entire place seem to be in complete chaos.  
  
“Can you come with me?” Chase requested.  
  
“Franco — Imogene. What’s going on? I need to be with them.”  
  
A nurse she didn’t recognize approached her. “Mrs. Baldwin?”  
  
Elizabeth nodded.  
  
“I need you to sign these consent forms so we can treat your husband and daughter.”  
  
It struck her a bit odd that she had to consent to treatment when they were already being treated. “What am I signing for?” she asked.  
  
“Whatever is necessary,” the nurse offered the simplest explanation.  
  
In a daze,  she signed “Elizabeth W. Baldwin” on two forms. “I need to see them.”  
  
“We will get you in as soon as possible.”  
  
Her attention turned back to Jake, holding onto her, still crying. “Baby, what happened?”  
  
“Jason!” Jake cried. “Jason attacked them!”  
  
At that moment, she saw Jason being lead into the emergency room, handcuffed. He was escorted by a uniformed police officer. He was also bloody, but not too worse for wear since he was walking. Her urge was to run to him and demand to know what he had done, but Chase held her back. “Please come with me,” he repeated. “Jake, I want you to come too.”  
  
“I need—“  
  
“Let the doctors work,” Chase encouraged her.  
  
She was not even sure where they were going, but they wound up in the otherwise empty chapel.  
  
“I need to speak to you and Jake in private.”


	9. Chapter 9

Elizabeth felt herself being led to sit down. Her mind was still in the chaotic emergency room.  
  
“The doctors are doing their job,” Chase told her. “I need to question Jake as a witness and I cannot do so without a parent present.”  
  
“Okay, she agreed,” but she felt as if she herself were barely breathing.  
  
“I’m going to record this conversation with my phone and then make a transcript,” he informed Elizabeth, who was in shock, and Jake, who was starting to calm down a bit since he was back with his mother. “It’s important to do this while everything is fresh in your memory, Jake,” he explained. “Do you think you can tell us what happened this morning?”  
  
Jake rubbed his eyes and somehow Chase seemed to magically produce a cloth handkerchief from his pocket.  
  
“Jason. Jason attacked Franco for no reason.”  
  
“Okay, let’s back up. Tell me what was going on this morning. Take a deep breath.”  
  
Elizabeth found herself following the same instruction as Jake.  
  
“Take your time,” Chase told him.  
  
“My brothers went to play soccer. Mom went to work. I was home with Franco and my – Jason was supposed to get me to spend the day with me. Everything was totally normal until he got there.”  
  
“Tell me what is totally normal for you.” Chase prodded.  
  
“Franco gave Imogene her bottle and he made breakfast for me – scrambled eggs with cheese and toast. Then Imogene pooped in her diaper because all she does is eat, sleep, and poop.”  
  
Chase tried not to smile at Jake’s description of his little sister.  
  
“Franco put on some kind of boring classical music because he said that it helps babies learn. I wanted him to play metal like he does when he’s painting, and he told me it was too aggressive for her little ears.”  
  
“He put that little bathtub thing in the sink and ran some water, and got the baby bath and all the, you know, baby stuff. He put the diaper in the Diaper Genie and started giving her a bath and singing to her like he always does. Not like a real song – whatever he made up. Everything was fine!” Jake exclaimed.  
  
“What happened then?”  
  
“The doorbell rang and I went to open the door because I knew it was Jason. He came in, but he smelled really, really bad. Like worse than the baby. I think Franco could smell him too because he asked him if he had been drinking. Jason doesn’t like Franco so he told him to shut up and go to hell.” Jake looked up at his mom, “Is it okay that I said that word?  
  
She nodded, trying to absorb everything Jake was saying.  
  
“Franco got Genie from the bath and wrapped her with a towel. He told Jason he wasn’t taking me anywhere if he was drunk. Jason got really mad. But he’s always mad anyway. He went up to Franco and poked him in the shoulder and told him he didn’t have any authority over what he did with me. Franco told him to stay away from the baby and he tried to shield Genie and was going to put her in the crib. He told Jason he wasn’t going to let him take me and put me in danger. He also told him to stop yelling because he was scaring the baby.  
  
“Franco just took a couple of steps toward the crib and his back was turned and Jason grabbed the skillet out of the dish strainer and he hit Franco as hard as he could. Franco fell down and the baby fell, and Jason kept hitting him and telling him he should be dead. There was blood everywhere.  
  
“I jumped on Jason and tried to make him stop, but he just, like, shrugged me off and I fell on the floor too, but I wasn’t really hurt. There’s a rolling pin in the kitchen so I grabbed it and I hit Jason as hard as I could. He fell over and I think I knocked him out.  
  
“But Genie was crying and Franco was having a seizure and the seizure just wouldn’t stop. I called 911 and told them my dad was having a seizure and Jason had hit him and there was blood everywhere and the baby fell and was crying.  
  
“I didn’t know what to do. I know what a seizure is, but I don’t know how to make it stop. It was really bad and his head was bleeding because Jason had hit him so many times. So I sat on the floor and held his head and tried to keep him from banging his head.  
  
“It seemed like forever, but the paramedics came busting into the house and they gave Franco some kind of shot and he got really still. They asked me how long the seizure lasted and I told them it was a long time, since before I called 911. The paramedic looked at his watch and said it was at least 10 minutes and he called in on his radio and said something about some kind of status of epilepsy.  
  
“They got Franco and the baby and they just left, but you were there and the police were there, and Jason was on the floor so they said another ambulance was needed, but Jason woke up. Then some policeman asked me what happened and he arrested Jason and you asked me to come to the hospital with you, so here we are.”  
  
Jake looked from the detective to his mother. “Did I do okay?” he asked. “Am I going to get in trouble for hitting Jason?”  
  
“You did great, Jake.” Chase told him.  “You gave me a lot of details and details are really important. And, no, you’re not in trouble at all. If anything, you’re the hero for saving Franco‘s life.”  
  
“I love him,” Jake answered. “He’s my best friend. I wish he was my dad instead of Jason.”  
  
“Family can be complicated,”  Chase answered him. “Franco is really lucky to have you as his best friend.“


	10. Chapter 10

Elizabeth did her best to brush away the memory of how they arrived in this predicament.  
  
Hospital beds were not comfortable and clearly not meant for two people, but she was tiny enough sleep next to Franco, her hand over his heart as though she wanted to make sure it kept beating.  
  
She was not going to wake him to get him to eat, so she drifted off again, knowing her sons were safe with Drew and that her daughter was safe with Kiki.  
  
The next time she opened her eyes, she recognize the early morning sounds of the hospital.  
  
“Hey,” Franco said.  
  
She smiled. “Hey.” She wondered how long he had been awake.  
  
“This kind of sucks,” he said.  
  
“Yeah,” she agreed.  
  
“What happened?”  
  
“You don’t remember?”  
  
He shook his head.  
  
She sighed. “I think I might get into trouble if I tell you because it’s a criminal investigation. But, you were attacked, and then you were having a seizure, and they found out you have another tumor. Or, I should say, had.”  
  
He looked taken aback. “It’s worse than I thought.”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“How are the kids?”  
  
“They are in good hands. Don’t worry about them. They just want you to come home as soon as possible.”  
  
“For the record, I’m not loving the catheter.”  
  
She tried not to laugh, but she did anyway. “No one ever does.”  
  
“How long have I been here?”  
  
“About three days.”  
  
“This is a hell of a way to get a nap. How can I still feel so tired if I’ve been out of it for three days?” He closed his eyes just to let them rest.  
  
“You’ve been in and out of it a little bit.” She decided not to bring up the conversation he had with Kevin unless he brought it up first. “Your body is trying to heal from a major ordeal. Sometimes, that takes a lot longer than we might expect.”  
  
“So, about the surgery, what did they find?”  
  
“I don’t know a lot of details yet,” Elizabeth answered. “The lab results come back more slowly on weekends.”  
  
“What if I have –“  
  
She stopped him, putting her index finger to his lips. “Don’t even say it.”  
  
He nodded. “I haven’t had symptoms,” he said, thinking aloud.  
  
“Actually you have, but I didn’t realize it. I must not be very good nurse.”  
  
“You’re an amazing nurse,” he assured her.  
  
“Well, I was talking to Griffin. I realized you had a lot more headaches than usual. I just thought it was from lack of sleep. Sometimes, I noticed you would be staring at nothing and those were absence seizures, but again, I thought—new baby, tired. And, there was that day you just fell on the floor and you said you tripped, but neither of us could find what made you trip.”  
  
“I haven’t been angry, or violent, or obsessing about anything.”  
  
“This tumor affected your temporal and occipital lobes, primarily temporal.”  
  
“Forgive my stupidity, but what does that mean?”  
  
“Hearing, language, vision, balance... Do you remember a few weeks ago you said you were getting old because you needed glasses?”  
  
“So, all that stuff we didn’t give a second thought to spelled brain tumor?”  
  
She nodded. “Do you remember anything at all?”  
  
“I remember I love you. And our kids.”  
  
“That’s enough for me.”


	11. Chapter 11

A few hours later, Griffin came to see them. “How are you doing?” he asked.  
  
Franco shrugged. “Been better.”  
  
Elizabeth held her breath. Griffin was sure to be bringing in results from the biopsy. “Not cancer. Not cancer,” she repeated in her mind.  
  
“I have good and bad news. Nobody wants to hear bad news in a hospital, so I’ll get that first,” he paused. “The tumor was a Grade II oligodendroglioma.”  
  
Elizabeth squeezed Franco’s hand. She watched his face for his reaction, but he looked at her, trying to gauge her reaction.  
  
“It is a malignant tumor. But it’s a low grade. Based on your history, we are going to recommend radiation therapy without chemo. Radiation is usually effective with this type of cancer. There are side effects, but they are usually more manageable than chemo side effects.”  
  
Franco nodded and looked at Elizabeth. He could tell she was upset, but he could also tell she was more resolved to get through it then to cry about it.  
  
“Being told you have cancer is stressful and you will probably need some time to process the information. I’m here if you have questions. Dr. Collins is very good at helping cancer patients and their families cope with the struggles and changes. Another advantage you have is that you are a hospital employee, so your insurance will cover most of the expenses.”  
  
He nodded, trying to grasp what he was being told.  
  
“Do you have questions?”  
  
“When can I go home?”  
  
Griffin hesitated, weighing his answer. “Let’s leave that as ‘to be determined.’ You didn’t just have a tumor. You had severe injuries and severe seizures.”  
  
“How likely am I to recover?”  
  
“The odds are in your favor.”  
  
Elizabeth exhaled.  
  
“Is this a genetic thing? Is there some kind of test that Imogene needs to have to make sure she’s safe?”  
  
“This type of tumor is fairly rare and there’s not enough research to determine if it’s a hereditary trait. You could actually let us send a DNA sample to a research facility and it may help with the research. Obviously, that’s your choice to make.”  
  
“Do it,” he answered. “If it can help Genie or some other kid…”  
  
“That’s generous of you. Another positive thing about this type of tumor is that it will only appear in the brain or spinal cord. Some cancers can spread from one organ to another or one system to another. This type doesn’t do that.”  
  
“Lucky me,” Franco said dryly.  
  
“I’m glad you are trying to be positive about it. That attitude will help you get through.”  
  
“Tell us about the radiation and side effects,” Elizabeth requested, more for Franco then herself.  
  
“Hair loss, obviously.”  
  
“Obviously?” Franco asked.  
  
“We did have to shave your head for the craniotomy. You may not have realized it yet because of the bandages.”  
  
“All of it?”  
  
Griffin look befuddled. “You seem more upset about your hair than about your tumor.”  
  
“I think I am,” Franco answered.  
  
“It will grow back,” Elizabeth reminded him. “Your hair grows at like five times the rate of a normal human being’s anyway.”  
  
“You just told me I have cancer and my wife is snarking,” Franco told Griffin.  
  
Remaining neutral, Griffin said, “Everyone has to process this kind of news in their own way.”  
  
“Side effects?” Elizabeth asked again.  
  
“Skin irritation, fatigue, nausea, headaches, weight loss, potential problems with memory, loss of sex drive. The treatment itself is quick and not painful. Side effects can be bad though. Also, you cannot drive until you’re cleared to do so.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“You have a history of seizures and are undergoing treatment. We have given you medication to control seizures and will continue that protocol when you’re released.”  
  
“What about work? I have patients too.”  
  
“That’s more of a human resources question. They may want you to do straight short term disability or they may let you work a few days when you feel like it. Personally, I suggest at least starting with the disability option so you can track your reaction the treatments for days or weeks after the each treatment.”  
  
“Is it safe for me to be around the baby and the boys?”  
  
“It’s not contagious.”  
  
“No, I mean, if I’m holding Imogene and have a seizure, I could hurt her.”  
  
“I’m not going to tell you you can’t hold your baby. You may want a trial period where there’s always another adult or one of the boys there with you in case you do have a seizure.”  
  
 Elizabeth knew those words for breaking his heart.  
  
“Am I dangerous to my family in any way?”  
  
“Not likely.”  
  
“I don’t need ‘not likely.’ I need to know I can be with my family and not hurt anyone.”  
  
“I can’t guarantee anything. But, I wouldn’t worry about that. You need to be with your family, the people you love most.”  
  
He looked at Elizabeth.  
  
“You not coming home to us is not an option.”  
  
He gave her a weak smile and tried to remind himself that it could be worse.  
  



	12. Chapter 12

Drew had received what he thought was an odd call from Franco. He had asked Drew to bring the boys… and a hat.  
  
When the boys noticed Drew was taking a hat on their visit, Jake it asked what it was for.  
  
“He asked for one.”  
  
“Any kind of hat?” Jake asked.  
  
“I think so.”  
  
Jake told him to wait a minute and he ran back upstairs, then returned with a New York Giants cap.  
  
“You like football now?” Drew asked.  
  
“Not really,” Jake said. “But I told Franco that the kids at school picked on me. He told me to figure out what sports team was most popular at my school and then wear a T-shirt or something with their logo on it and it would help me fit in. He was right. They don’t tease me as much since they think I like sports too.”  
  
“I bet he figured that out when he was about your age,” Drew said. One thing he knew for sure: Franco’s childhood had been very unhappy.  
  
Not to be outdone, Cam and Aiden both delayed the trip by also going to pick out a hat for Franco from their own collections.  
  
“Do you think he’ll like them?” Aiden asked.  
  
“I expect so,” Drew answered.  
  
When they arrived at the hospital, Drew stopped at the nurses’ station to see if Franco was able to have so many visitors at once. Amy glanced at the boys, all looking eager to see their stepfather. She asked if any of them had been sick recently. If they had they would need to wear a mask in the room. They all denied having any illness.  
  
“Let me check on him, then I’ll let you in,” Amy said.  
  
She called his name when she entered the room. He was sleeping, which is what Griffin wanted him to do for the majority of the day. His vital signs were all in acceptable ranges. She lightly touched his arm, “Wake up, sleepyhead.”  
  
“Amy.”  
  
“How are you feeling?”  
  
“Like I was hit by a Buick.”  
  
“Are you up for visitors? The boys are here.”  
  
His countenance brightened. He nodded. In less than two minutes, the boys walked quietly in with Drew who had told them to be quiet and not get over excited.  
  
“Hey guys!” He smiled.  
  
Jake was staring, eyes wide. Aiden looked from him to Drew as if looking for an answer. “You look horrible!” Cam said, no filter.  
  
“I know. I hope it’s not scary.”  
  
“We are not scared,” Cam clarified. “Just worried. Oh, Drew said you wanted hats.” He extended his gift of a brightly decorated sombrero.  
  
Aidan placed a black snow cap next to the sombrero and Jake quietly put his Giants cap on the bed. He avoided looking at Franco. Drew threw a black cowboy hat into the mix.  
  
“Awesome! Thank you! I think I’ll start with this one, although they’re all amazing.” He put on the sombrero. He thought it might be easier for them to hear what he was going to say if he said it while looking ridiculous.


	13. Chapter 13

“Where is mom?” Aiden asked.  
  
“I think she’s assisting in a surgery and she’s probably going to be mad at me for talking to you without her.”  
  
“Are you sure you want to do that?” Drew asked.  
  
Franco nodded. “Cam, Aiden, Jake,  I’m not going to lie to you. Things are going to be pretty hard for a while, especially for your mom. So I want you to promise to do everything you can to help her out. Don’t make her have to tell you to do your homework, clean your room, pick up your towels off the floor, or any of the other things you know you should be doing. In fact, I think since you all have mastered using a smart phone, you all have the ability to do things around the house when it comes to cleaning, keeping the peace with each other, and looking out for your mom.”  
  
“What’s going on?” Cam asked.  
  
“I’m sick. And I’m going to get sicker before I get better. So, even though I like taking care of your mom and the baby and you guys, I can predict with about 99% accuracy that I am going to be pretty useless for a while.”  
  
“What’s wrong with you?” Aiden asked, looking a little scared.  
  
“I have cancer. In my brain.”  
  
Drew closed his eyes and shook his head. This was the first he had heard of the official diagnosis too.  
  
Jake finally spoke, “Is it because of what happened?” There were tears in his eyes.  
  
“Jake, I don’t remember what happened and no one will tell me. But, no, absolutely not. I’ve had something similar before. I get an MRI every year because of it. This tumor has developed since my last MRI.”  
  
“What is a tumor?” Aiden asked.  
  
“Dr. Munro can answer better than I can. I guess it’s like some mutant cell cones along and attaches itself to something it shouldn’t. Or maybe it’s a cell that is already there that mutates. I don’t really know, but more cells mutate and grow and then you have this blob that makes you sick, like having seizures in my case. At any rate, it was there for a while, at least a few months.”  
  
“Are you going to die?” Jake asked, crying, but trying to hide that he was crying from his brothers.  
  
Franco reached out to him. “Come here.”  
  
Jake moved closer.  
  
“Want to sit down with me?”  
  
Jake nodded and sat on the edge of the bed.  
  
“Any time someone has cancer, it could be the end. But I might get better. I intend to get better. You boys, your mom, Imogene, Kiki, Grandpa Scotty, and Uncle Drew are the family I have wanted my whole life and didn’t even know was possible. I’m not giving any of you up without a fight.” He hugged Jake with one arm.  
  
“Your mom is under a lot of stress and she doesn’t want any of us to know it. It’s not easy to have 3 boys, a baby girl, a sick husband, and a job without a whole lot of people to help. That’s why I want you boys to step up. You have a good mom. No, you have a great mom. I want you to be the kids she raised you to be.”  
  
“I’ll do the laundry,” Cam offered.  
  
“I can sweep,” Aiden chimed in.  
  
“I’ll clean the bathrooms,” Jake added.  
  
“I’ll take out the garbage because I’m the oldest and the strongest,” Cam volunteered.  
  
Franco gave an approving nod. “I like the way you’re thinking. You make your mom and me so proud and we love you no matter what.”  
  
The boys exchanged glances and smiled at each other and Franco.  
  
“Franco, if you need any help, call me. I mean it,” Drew said. “I can never do enough to repay what you did for me.”  
  
“I don’t want you to repay me. I kind of just want you to be my brother again.”  
  
Drew nodded. “Do we have to like exchange decoder rings to make it official?”  
  
“Nah, you’re here. That’s enough. Though I am not opposed to gifts and jewelry.”  
  
“Well, as your long lost brother, I feel compelled to tell you that your wife is going to potentially harm you for having this conversation without her.”  
  
“She will be dealing with a lot of difficult things soon enough. I just wanted to help her as much as I can while I still can.”  
  
Drew nodded. “I get it.”  
  
“Can you explain it to her?” he laughed.  
  
“Hey, Franco, what are the hats for?” Aiden inquired.  
  
“My head is cold.”  
  
“But it’s all wrapped up.”  
  
He took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll tell you.” His tone was serious. “There was a tragic event in the operating room.”  
  
The boys were captivated at this point. “What happened?” Jake asked.  
  
“They... shaved my head.” Franco appeared stoic.  
  
Drew was standing behind the boys and had to cover his face to keep from laughing out loud.  
  
“So, you’re bald? I want to see!” Aiden was too excited about it in Franco’s opinion.  
  
“I’m too ashamed.” He answered with a deep sigh.  
  
That was all Drew could take. He started laughing without censoring himself.  
  
“Figures,” Franco responded. “The first time you laugh in 38 years is at my misfortune.”  
  
“Are you really this vain?” Drew asked, almost out of breath.  
  
“I’m an artist. I appreciate the finer things in life.”  
  
“Like your own hair.”  
  
“Exactly.” He looked defiant.  
  
Drew shook his head. “All right boys, come on. I think Bon Jovi needs his beauty sleep.”


	14. Chapter 14

Elizabeth was initially annoyed that Franco had talked to the boys without her. It was Cameron who convinced her that Franco’s only intention was taking one burden off her shoulders.  
  
Even with her background and experience in nursing, she had never anticipated the reality of what a cancer patient and family would go through.  
  
At first, she and Franco had both thought they would be able to work at times during the treatment period. Radiation was supposed to be the “easier” cancer treatment when compared to chemotherapy, after all. Even if it was easier, it was still horrible and varied from person to person.  
  
The team working his case had decided he would start treatment five days a week, Monday through Friday, for four to six weeks. There was frequent evaluation of progress. It was a standard protocol.  
  
For a procedure that could last mere seconds, it took a lot of time: travel to and from the hospital, inevitable waiting, answering questions, monitoring medication and reactions. It was utterly exhausting. An awkward conversation with Griffin prior to treatment had made them consider if they wanted more children. They both thought four kids were plenty, but there was something so final in the possibility that they couldn’t have another child, Elizabeth had talked Franco into agreeing to freeze a sample. Elizabeth had an ulterior motivation. She thought it was an insurance policy of sorts. If they prepared for the worst, they would get the best. It was superstitious, but it made her feel more secure.  
  
Before he began the treatments, Franco asked Scotty and Ava to arrange an auction of some of his newer pieces. The fact that it was well known in the art world that he could be dying made the values skyrocket. Naturally, neither Scotty nor Ava were bashful in pushing that angle to potential buyers.  
  
Elizabeth could not even wrap her mind around the more than twenty million dollars in their joint bank account at the moment. She would have to deal with diversifying it, but there wasn’t time to deal with it now.  
  
For someone who now had no financial need to work outside the home, she had never worked harder in her life. Franco’s remaining cancer cells that could not be removed surgically were responding well to the radiation, according to the doctors. However, the treatment was wreaking havoc on the rest of his body.  
  
He was consistently nauseated, fatigued, and experiencing hypersomnia, vertigo, migraines, nightmares, and delirium at times.  
  
Griffin had informed Elizabeth about studies that linked recovery to a ketogenic diet. She followed the guidelines as well as she could. Refined sugar was now considered poison as cancer fed on it. Artificial sweeteners were pretty much just as bad. Processed foods had become the enemy. She did her best to provide a variety of low carb vegetables, healthy fats, clean protein, and some fruits. The boys had permission to go off the plan if they were not at home.  
  
She thought about how she had felt before Franco was a part of her life. Even when they were first together, it had felt like it was them against the world. She was finding out now that she had more of a support system than she imagined. Kiki, Scotty, and Drew were the rocks in the foundation. Ava was involved with Scotty and she had been a fairly consistent presence, which had its own brand of weirdness, but Elizabeth was learning to accept help when she needed it. She had become good friends with Kim and Francesca over time. Oscar wanted to help his sort-of Uncle. Chase was now dating Kiki and he was available when needed and he was her eyes and ears when it came to Jason as a threat to her family. Felix, Epiphany, and Amy offered support when they could. And, of course Griffin and Kevin were invaluable. Laura was home and doing everything in her power to ensure that Imogene was the most spoiled little girl in Port Charles. In the middle of all the darkness, she had never felt so loved.  
  
A looming concern was Jason’s upcoming trial. He was facing charges that no DA would simply throw out. Scotty had removed himself from involvement once he had ascertained the order of protection and restraining order. Franco still had no memory at all of Jason attacking him. He had eventually been told in the most succinct way that that is what had occurred, but given no details. Neither of them wanted Jake to bear the burden of being the DA’s primary witness, but they could not interfere with an attempted murder charge.  
  
Franco’s drug induced ramblings had led to Scotty asking questions about Jim Harvey. Elizabeth was not prepared to answer them, so she deflected as much as possible. Eventually Scotty asked her point blank, ”Did that bastard sexually abuse my son?”  
  
She bit her lip and held her tongue.  
  
“You’re not saying ‘no.’”  
  
With her continued silence, Scotty berated himself for not knowing Franco existed or providing him with a safe home.  
  
Elizabeth simply didn’t have the energy to convince him otherwise, so Ava stepped in and reminded him that he had been a good father since he found out Franco was his son.  
  
Elizabeth walked away while Ava took care of Scotty. She checked on Franco, asleep in their bed. There was the too familiar garbage can right by the bed because sometimes he woke up throwing up. She feared he was not keeping enough calories to promote healing.  
  
At the times when he was thinking most clearly, usually in the mornings prior to treatment, he kept apologizing to her for getting sick and turning their lives upside down. She was suspicious that he was forgetting chunks of time, leading to the daily conversation. When she shared that concern with Griffin, he said it was possible and likely to improve after treatments were complete.  
  
She went to Imogene’s room to check her. She was so grateful that Imogene was a generally happy baby and had not been seriously injured. She slept well, ate well, and seemed securely oblivious to the chaos in her family.  
  
Elizabeth sighed and went to the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror. She looked even more pale than usual. There were dark circles under her eyes that she didn’t even bother to try to hide. She ran a brush through her limp hair. When she set the brush down, it was next to a wedding photo in a silver frame. They had been so happy that day. It seemed like there were only good things ahead. She had meant every word of her vows, but was not prepared for “sickness” and “worse” to arrive so quickly into the otherwise happy life they were building.  
  
She clutched the photo to her chest and found herself sitting on the floor, her back against a linen closet. When the tears started, she thought they might never stop. She wanted their life back. She wanted her husband back with his hugs and kisses and his body making her feel ways she had never experienced before.  
  
Elizabeth was so tired and her heart was broken. She didn’t like feeling helpless or out of control. She realized there was no controlling cancer. The best they could hope for was containing it an destroying it before it destroyed their lives.


	15. Chapter 15

“Why are you crying?” Franco asked softly, weakly.

Surprised, Elizabeth quickly tried to cover. She stood and placed the photo back on the counter. “Did I wake you?”

He shook his head. “I just woke up and heard you crying.”

He was pale and weak. He was always cold, so he had started wearing sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt to bed. He kept a black knit hat on almost all the time. He was fairly adamant that he was not going to allow the kids to see the scars that the multitude of stitches and staples has left. He had had multiple skull fractures and a craniotomy. He told Elizabeth he wasn’t Frankenstein and didn’t want to look the part.

Yeah, they had all had a laugh about his vanity, but she eventually realized that hiding those scars was the one thing left that he could control. He had had five seizures since he had begun treatment. He could become nauseated with no warning and not be able to make it to a bathroom or sink in time. He had episodes of aphasia where he could not find the words he wanted to express himself. He had headaches. He was so weak at times that even Aiden was occasionally helping him up and down stairs. Elizabeth tried to convince him they should move to the downstairs guest bedroom. He was close to giving into her request. Sometimes being practical was more important than being stubborn.

“I’m sorry,” he told her earnestly. “I’m so sorry to put you through this.”

She led him back to the bed. “I’m not the one going through it.”

He stroked her tear streaked face. “Yes you are. We all are.”

She shrugged. “We take the cards life deals us. At least we have each other.”

“I wouldn’t be here without you,” he whispered. “I wouldn’t even want to be here without you.” He kissed her cheek softly.

She turned just enough to catch his mouth. They kissed gently, softly, yet longingly. It was the first truly intimate kiss they had shared in weeks.

Elizabeth could feel how weak he was. She pulled away. “Let’s just hold each other tonight and not let go,” she whispered. He nodded. She told him to get comfortable while she put on a modest white gown, though she had given up wearing underwear to bed since they got together.

He didn’t tell her that it was difficult to get comfortable when everything hurt. He wanted to protect her from the knowledge of the pain he was enduring. He laid down and took a deep breath. He smiled when Elizabeth crawled into bed with him.

“Are you in pain?” she asked.

“Some,” he nodded.

“So that’s a ‘yes’ then,” she corrected. If he would admit ‘some’ then she knew there was more to it.

“Would it help if I gave you a massage?”

He cringed at the thought of the pressure of a massage. “Can you just... pet me?” he asked.

“Pet you?” she repeated.

“Yeah, softly. I want you to touch me like you love me, but like you would a kitten or puppy. I want to know you’re there and you love me.”

Elizabeth smiled at this challenge. “Okay, I’ll pet you.”

She started by stroking his face. He nodded, eyes closed. Her touch was like a light breeze.

She felt compelled to follow her soft caresses with little kisses. She moved to his neck, which she knew very well was one of his most sensitive areas.

“Can I get on top?” she asked. He nodded. She straddled him, but kept her weight on her knees. She bent over and began kissing his neck. His response was an instinctive curve to give her more access to keep going.

She put her hand under under his shirt and started rubbing his chest and abdomen like she was wielding a paintbrush. He made a very content noise as she put her lips to work on the other side of his neck. It emboldened her to know he was feeling pleasure.

In a few quick moves, she pushed his sweatpants down—just enough. She let her bare crotch touch his, but controlled her movement, rubbing herself against him in light circles, then changing direction. Meanwhile, she continued nibbling on his neck. She had never had complete control over a man this way before.

She soon got the response she wanted as he filled her. She gasped, but it seemed to surprise him more than her. She settled her weight on him at that point and savored the sensations as she was in total control. He groaned and she met his lips with hers. She needed the release and believed he did too.

It was over too quickly and she fell on the bed beside him. “How did I do?” she asked, swirling her fingers over his heart.

He looked her right in the eye and all he said was, “Purr.”

She fixed his clothes and her own. She snuggled against him, her head on his shoulder, “Purr, indeed,” she whispered.


	16. Chapter 16

Elizabeth had not slept so well in weeks. Her head was on Franco‘s shoulder and her hand was on his chest. As she woke up, she realized her hand felt sticky. She reached to turn on a lamp and when she saw her hand, she screamed. It was covered in blood, as were Franco‘s lips, neck and shirt. She even felt blood in her own hair.  
  
She felt his neck and found that his pulse was weak. “Help!” she screamed. She did not know which of their friends or family had spent the night, but she knew someone was there.  
  
She grabbed her phone and called 911. “My husband has cancer and when I woke up he was covered in blood. His pulse is weak. Please send an ambulance as soon as possible.” She gave them her name and address.  
  
Kiki busted into the bedroom and flipped on the overhead light. “Oh my God!” she screamed. “Let me get a towel.” She ran into the bathroom and came out with a wet towel and began washing away as much of the dried blood as she could.  
  
Elizabeth was grateful that it was Kiki who was with them during the night. She reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out a blood pressure monitor. “70/40,” she announced.  
  
“We have to get him to the hospital,” Kiki said.  
  
“I already called,” Elizabeth told her. “The ambulance will be here soon.”  
  
“You are a bloody mess,” Kiki said. “Change your clothes and I’ll watch Franco.”  
  
Elizabeth gave no thought to modesty and she took off her gown and put on the first things she could find, jeans and a floral shirt. She accepted another wet towel that Kiki brought for her to try to wash blood from her hair.  
  
Kiki talked to Franco, telling him he needed to wake up. His unresponsiveness could have so many underlying factors: a seizure, a stroke, medication, any of the above combined with low blood pressure... She had pretty much determined his nose had been bleeding, but they needed to get to the hospital as quickly as possible to find out why.  
  
“How did I miss this?” Elizabeth asked, feeling like she had failed him. “He bled all over me and I didn’t even notice.”  
  
“You’re exhausted,” Kiki tried to comfort her. “It caught up with you.”  
  
Elizabeth grabbed  her phone again and called Laura. “Please come watch the kids. We have to get to the hospital immediately!”  
  
“I’ll be there in ten minutes,” Laura promised.  
  
“Cameron!” Elizabeth yelled.  
  
The sleepy teenager came to the door. “What’s going on?” he asked.  
  
“Go downstairs and let the paramedics in when they get here. Bring them upstairs. Watch the other kids until Laura gets here.”  
  
“What happened?” he asked.  
  
“Just go!” she exclaimed, not realizing her non-answer frightened him.  
  
Within seconds, she heard the sirens from the ambulance and soon the paramedics were in the bedroom.  
  
They rechecked his vital statistics and slid a stretcher underneath him.  
  
“He has brain cancer,” Elizabeth informed them. She also told them he was on radiation therapy and named the medications he was taking.  
  
“We’re taking him to GH,” the paramedic in charge radioed into the base headquarters.  
  
“We’re coming with you,” Elizabeth insisted. “I’m a nurse and she’s a resident on staff.”  
  
“I’m calling Griffin,” Kiki told her as they got into the ambulance. Kiki was still wearing pajamas.  
  
Cameron was standing by the door, watching in fear.  
  
“Laura will be here soon,” Elizabeth reminded him, just as one of the paramedics closed the back of the ambulance.


	17. Chapter 17

Griffin met the ambulance as it entered the parking bay. Kiki jumped out of the front seat and Elizabeth came out of the back with the paramedic. Griffin caught Elizabeth’s attention. “Kiki told me what’s going on. I’ll get a CBC done immediately. If she’s right and his nose started bleeding in the night, I think everything is going to be okay.”  
  
Elizabeth sighed with relief. Somehow, being the wife of a cancer patient seemed to make her own medical knowledge disappear at times. Kiki led her to a waiting area.  
  
“Don’t you want to put on some scrubs?” Elizabeth asked.  
  
Kiki looked at herself. “I suppose I should. Be right back.”  
  
Elizabeth had a hard time adjusting to waiting instead of working on a patient, though she knew it was better to not work on your own family members.  
  
Amy came by and asked how she was.  
  
“It’s like living a nightmare,” she answered. Amy told her to let her know if she needed anything, and she went back to work.  
  
Elizabeth tapped her foot, drummed her fingers, and flipped through some magazines without even looking at the content.  
  
Kiki came back and when Elizabeth tossed another magazine on the table, she grabbed Elizabeth’s hand. “He’s going to be okay,” she told Elizabeth.  
  
“I can’t lose him,” Elizabeth said.  
  
“Me either,” Kiki agreed.  
  
“Why is a CBC taking so long?” Elizabeth asked. Yes, she was impatient, but she knew it was taking longer than usual.  
  
Eventually, Griffin came back and Elizabeth and Kiki stood to greet him. He motioned for them to sit down. “As far as the situation goes,” he started, “It’s not as bad as it could be.”  
  
“What is it?” Elizabeth asked, flooded with a sense of relief.  
  
“He needs a platelet transfusion. Sometimes radiation can affect blood count. Platelets are necessary for clotting, as you both know. With his status as a cancer patient, we have to find a type match, but also an HLA match.”  
  
“He doesn’t have a lot of blood relatives,” Elizabeth said. “I’ll call Scotty.” She knew the odds of a blood relative being an HLA match was one in four, but a random stranger match was one in 10,000.  
  
“You don’t have to,” Griffin told her. “I searched our donor database and found a perfect match.”  
  
“That’s amazing!” Elizabeth said, happily surprised. “What do we do? Call them? Ask them to come in?” She knew platelets have a short shelflife. They had to be used within a few days of donation.  
  
“We don’t have to call,” Griffin said. “We can just ask.”  
  
Elizabeth and Kiki looked at each other, both a little confused.  
  
Griffin turned to Kiki, “Want to go donate some platelets?”  
  
“What?” she said, shocked. She knew the odds as well as Elizabeth did. Her mind immediately filled with a hundred different thoughts – most centered on her mother being a pathological liar.  
  
“Yeah – yeah,” she said standing up. “Let’s go.” The procedure for gathering platelets would take about three hours. She looked back at Elizabeth. “I want a DNA test.”  
  
Elizabeth nodded and fell back into her chair. All she could do was wait because Franco was isolated to help prevent any infections at the moment. She knew Franco had believed Kiki was his daughter for 21 years while Ava kept them apart. She knew they had been reunited and forming a bond when Silas Clay showed up and Ava changed her story. Yet, somehow Franco and Kiki never lost their bond.  
  
She wondered why Ava would have done this to them. It was far too coincidental that, of all the people in the registry, Kiki was a perfect type and HLA match. The DNA test would certainly prove Ava was lying.  
  
Elizabeth shook her head, processing the obvious conclusion. “I guess we needed five kids after all,” she said to no one. It wasn’t really an adjustment. She knew Kiki came with the package when she married Franco. She was more a part of his life than anybody else, even his crazy mothers.  
  
“Did you say five kids?” Scotty asked, taking the seat next to his daughter in law. Ava was with him. Elizabeth had not noticed them walking into the room.  
  
Ava looked surprised. “Are congratulations in order?” she asked in her smoothly condescending tone.  
  
Elizabeth had the urge to jump up and tear the bleached blond hair off her smug head. What she had done to Kiki and Franco was horrendous, not to mention dragging Silas and Nina into her web of lies.   “You really should wipe that smug smile off your face,” Elizabeth snapped.  
  
Ava was taken aback. She and Elizabeth had been getting along well. “What are you talking about?”  
  
“You are one cold hearted bitch,” Elizabeth fumed, standing up to confront her.  
  
“I don’t understand. What did I do?”  
  
“Elizabeth,” Scotty was shocked that she was so hostile with Ava.  
  
Elizabeth turned to Scotty. “She’s a pathological liar. Cut your losses while you still can.”  
  
Ava really had no idea what Elizabeth was talking about. She had lied so well for so long she had probably started to believe herself.  
  
“Ava and I have a great time together.”  
  
“Has she told you she’s the mother of your grandchild?”  
  
Scotty looked at Ava for an explanation.  
  
“No,” the lie fell from Ava’s lips like melted butter. “Kiki is—“  
  
“Kiki is donating platelets to save HER FATHER’S life!” Elizabeth yelled.  
  
Ava shrugged. “So they have the same blood type that’s—“  
  
“They have the same type and the same HLA. Do you know what the odds are for a non-relative to be a type and HLA match are?”  
  
Ava said nothing. She knew her lie was out.  
  
“One in ten thousand!” Elizabeth raised her voice. “One in ten thousand! Why did you lie to them all this time? Silas Clay died years ago.”  
  
“I, I,” Ava stuttered.  
  
“Is it true?” Scotty asked.  
  
“Okay, fine.” Ava became defiant. “Yes, Kiki is Franco’s daughter. I thought she would be better off thinking a doctor was her father instead of a mentally deranged—“  
  
Elizabeth slapped her. “Shut up.”  
  
Ava put her hand to her stinging face, “You slapped me!”  
  
“Get out!” Elizabeth turned icy. “Stay away from my husband, you lying bitch.” She turned to Scotty, “You’re welcome to leave with her if that’s what you want.”  
  
Scotty shook his head, but didn’t say a word.  
  
Ava looked at him expectantly.  
  
“My son needs me. His family needs me. I guess it was good while it lasted.”  
  
At least a dozen cruel responses flew through Ava’s mind, but she remained quiet. This day had been coming for a long time. She just had to deal with yet another lie coming back to haunt her. She would not leave on a bad note though. She did want to be a better person. Right now, that required keeping her mouth shut and walking away.


	18. Chapter 18

Franco was hardly enjoying his experience in ICU. He spent most of his day isolated and that gave him too much time to think about things he didn’t want to think about. He had not known that platelet transfusions were more complicated than blood transfusions. He was a little surprised when Kevin came in, dressed from head to toe in sterile covering.  
  
“I thought we had time to catch up,” Kevin started. “Being a doctor has some privileges like getting around ICU visiting hours.”  
  
“In other words, I have no opportunity to escape.”  
  
Kevin had become used to Franco’s deflection defense. He knew it was a last ditch effort to keep his personal history locked away. “I know you’re sleeping a lot, which is good. What have you been dreaming about?”  
  
“A giant turkey sandwich covered in chocolate sauce.”  
  
“Dreaming about food is good. It shows your appetite is improving.”  
  
“It shows I should not be allowed near a kitchen,” Franco gave a small smile.  
  
“What else?”  
  
“I had a dream about Andy— Drew. He was Andy in my dream.”  
  
“You were little kids.”  
  
Franco nodded. “ He was yelling at me. He accused me of wanting Uncle Jim’s attention all for myself. He told me I was selfish and he hated me.”  
  
“How did that make you feel?”  
  
“Like Uncle Jim was right when he told me Mom and Andy would hate me if they found out I was ... special.”  He nearly choked on the last word. “I wanted to tell Andy that Uncle Jim was a bad man, but he came in the room with a toy and told Andy to leave us alone. Andy was mad because I got another toy.” Franco looked down the entire time he spoke. “I don’t know if that really happened or not.”  
  
“I venture it’s based in reality, even if it’s recovered in a dream.”  
  
“What’s the likelihood that if I dreamed...” he stopped, too ashamed to continue.  
  
“What happened?” Kevin asked. “Everything you say to me is safe.”  
  
“He made me lay down on my bed without any clothes and he beat me with his belt from my back to my ankles. He said no one was home and if I cried, he would keep hitting me until I could take it like a good boy. I bit the pillow and imaged I was in a boat party, like the painting. I don’t know if that’s real either. I don’t know if anything is real.”  
  
“Have you thought about keeping a journal of your dreams?”  
  
Franco shook his head.  
  
“I was talking to you when you were coming out of anesthesia after the surgery. You talked somewhat freely about some disturbing incidents of abuse. You said you didn’t know if they were real, but I am pretty sure everything you told me was based in reality. Maybe some things you have not told me before because you were too uncomfortable.”  
  
Franco was quiet. He appeared afraid to be confronted with what he had said.  
  
“It’s okay that you question reality. Many survivors do. It doesn’t help at all that Betsy convinced your  that your brother didn’t even exist and he was in your imagination. That would have to make you compartmentalize that whole part of your life as imaginary. It was very cruel of her to do that, even if her intentions were good.”  
  
He nodded, trying to reconcile that his mother had loved him, but manipulated him so severely.  
  
“You said Jim Harvey used to force you to look at pictures of dead animals and dead people. He threatened to do those things to your mother and Andy  if you didn’t obey him.”  
  
Franco would not look at Kevin.  
  
“I think that really happened,” Kevin assured him. “I think it influenced your obsession with death and compulsive tendencies toward violence.”  
  
“I don’t have those thoughts anymore,” Franco whispered, feeling ashamed.  
  
“I know that. But isn’t it a relief to know how that dark part of your life came to exist?”  
  
Franco shrugged one shoulder. “It doesn’t change what I did.”  
  
“But it does tell you it’s not who you are. It didn’t originate within you.”  
  
Franco nodded.  
  
“You were extremely young when this emotional, physical, and sexual torment started. You mother let Jim Harvey stay in your life for years. Chronic, severe abuse like that causes serious mental health issues.”  
  
“He broke up with her,” Franco said. “ I think maybe he moved on to someone else when he was ... done ... with me.”  
  
Kevin nodded. “That’s typical behavior for a serial pedophile.”  
  
“I was so messed up that I couldn’t understand why he didn’t love me anymore. Why did I think he loved me? I thought I had been bad somehow and driven him away. At the same time, I thought I was bad because of what I let him do to me.”  
  
“He manipulated you. You needed to feel loved, but he made his twisted version of love contingent on violating you. You didn’t LET him. He coerced, forced, and dominated you.”  
  
“I guess that’s how I learned to be evil and manipulative.”  
  
“Would you like to repeat that?” Kevin asked.  
  
“That must be how I learned to be evil and manipulative.”  
  
“What did you just realize about yourself?”  
  
“I’m a horrible person.”  
  
“Wrong answer. Franco, you endured horrors because of that man. It was so much that you couldn’t function with the memories, so you repressed them. And, yes, you had a tumor on your frontal lobe. It makes a lot of sense from my perspective. You’re not a horrible person. Your brain malfunctioned in a major way.”  
  
“Why do— never mind.” Franco refused to look at Kevin.  
  
“Just ask. This is a safe space.”  
  
He held back for a moment. “Why do people like him do what they do?”  
  
“If I could provide you with an all-encompassing correct answer for that question, I could write a book and be declared the greatest psychiatrist of all time.”  
  
“Do you think someone did that to him?”  
  
“It’s possible. It’s also possible that he was just a sadistic pervert. I think there are a lot of things you are keeping inside. Maybe you can’t process everything that happened yet. Maybe you’re too ashamed to talk about it.” Kevin noted that Franco refused to make eye contact. “I’m your safety net.” Kevin reminded him.  
  
“He told me I was a liar so often and that nobody would believe me. I don’t know what to believe. Am I lying to myself? Am I lying to you? Is this all my imagination? And if it is, what kind of person does that make me, to make up things that shouldn’t be thought or done or said? If I am making this up, I don’t deserve to live. Why am I fighting cancer? Shouldn’t I just die and go away so everything I am thinking and believing is real when it might not be real will die with me? I should not be alive. That’s what Jason told me.”  
  
Kevin had so many paths to follow from what Franco said that he had to quickly prioritize what to start with first. “What did Jason say?”  
  
“I should be dead.”  
  
“When did he say that?”  
  
Franco met his eyes. “I think—“ he stopped. “Maybe recently, but probably every time he sees me.”  
  
“Close your eyes and take a deep breath.”  
  
Franco did as he was instructed.  
  
“Relax. I’m going to try a little hypnosis.”  
  
He nodded and listened as Kevin’s voice soothed him into that place where his mind was open.  
  
“When did Jason tell you that you should be dead?”  
  
“I don’t know exactly.”  
  
“Do you know where you were?”  
  
“In the kitchen. I wrapped the baby in a towel and asked him to leave because he was drunk. I couldn’t let him take Jake. My head felt like it split open. I don’t remember anything else.”  
  
“After you felt like your head split open, what is your next memory?”  
  
“I was scared. But I heard Kiki calling me. She called me dad. She does that sometimes, even though I’m not really her father. She was upset and I was trying to find her.”  
  
“What happened after that?”  
  
“I was in the hospital and Elizabeth was with me.”  
  
“Okay, I want you to come back to your normal level of consciousness as I count down.”  
  
Franco opened his eyes. “Was that real?”  
  
“You tell me.”  
  
“I think it was.”  
  
Kevin nodded. “ That’s good.”  
  
Franco yawned. “I’m kind of tired.”  
  
“I know. I think we have a lot to talk about.”  
  
He tried to smile. “Thank you for helping me.”  
  
“Thank you for trusting me. Get some rest. I’m sure you will have some real visitors soon.”


	19. Chapter 19

“I don’t give a damn about Jason’s right to a speedy trial or his right to face his accusers. You’re not accusing him, the state of New York is. How does that idiot DA think you can testify from ICU?” Elizabeth ranted. She had been informed earlier that day that Jake and Franco were on a witness list for a trial less than a week away.  
  
“Can they make Jake testify?” Franco asked.  
  
“He’s old enough. He’s competent. There’s no parent/child privilege like there is a spousal privilege to not incriminate each other. Also, Jason really doesn’t have a legal claim on Jake. He gave up his parental rights, Jake was Lucky’s until he went AWOL. Jason thought his lifestyle was too dangerous to be a father.”  
  
Franco could clearly hear the resentment in her last statement. “I guess we have to do what we have to do. At least the radiation is on hold until the platelet thing is fixed. I should be out of ICU, soon, right? Maybe I’ll feel better and not puke on the stand.”  
  
“Aim for the DA’s shoes. Maybe she will realize you’re too sick to be there. I don’t want you back in ICU.”  
  
Franco laughed. That was something Elizabeth would have normally suggested, but he loved that she wanted to protect him.  
  
Maybe Kevin and Griffin can convince the judge that you cannot be out in public like that.  
  
“I look like a pathetic victim. That’s why she wants me seen. I barely remember anything. I can’t contribute much.”  
  
“I’m afraid they will bring up your history with Jason.”  
  
“I’m not on trial. If they allude to my past with Jason, they open the door on his past too. His lawyers won’t want that. I was exonerated due to mental defect. Jason kills by choice. My lawyer daddy taught me that.”  
  
Kiki came into the room with a box of sugar free ice cream bars. “I brought you something,” she was beaming.  
  
Elizabeth snuck her phone out of her pocket while Franco’s attention was on Kiki. She wanted to record this moment for him.  
  
“You look happy,” Franco observed.  
  
“I’ve never been happier!”  
  
“Getting married?”  
  
“Nope.”  
  
“Pregnant?” he asked with less enthusiasm.  
  
“Definitely not!”  
  
“Well, then what’s got you lighting up the room?”  
  
Kiki smiled at him and looked at Elizabeth who nodded for her to go on.  
  
“You’re my father! My real father!” She threw her arms around him in a tight hug.  
  
“I don’t understand, but this is amazing! How did you find out?”  
  
“Well, my mother has a tenuous relationship with the truth, as you know. When you needed platelets, I was a perfect match which was questionably coincidental.” She explained the chances of her being a match. “Ava admitted she lied, but I got a DNA test for proof anyway.” She reached under her sterile yellow gown and brought out a piece of paper with the results. She showed him how the samples matched. “Read it. Me — you. Daughter — father.”  
  
Franco hugged her again. “All this means is science agrees with what we already knew.”  
  
She pulled away and saw tears welling in his eyes. “Don’t cry! Because then we’ll all start crying!”  
  
“I’m only crying because the ice cream is melting,” he said wiping at his eyes.  
  
She laughed and playfully swatted his shoulder. “You’re insufferable.”  
  
“So, you get it honestly.”  
  
Kiki passed out the ice cream and gave Elizabeth a hug. “I’m so glad he has you.”  
  
“I’m glad he has you,” Elizabeth smiled. Her family was continuing to grow and she loved it.  
  
“You literally saved my life,” Franco realized, in awe of his daughter.  
  
“Well, yeah, a little bit,” Kiki teased.  
  
“When I’m all better, I’m going to give you a princess birthday party and the pony you always wanted.”  
  
“How did you know I wanted a pony?”  
  
“Don’t all little girls want a pony?”  
  
“I might not really have time for one now.”  
  
“Okay,” Franco sighed.  
  
Elizabeth noticed a huge difference in Franco since she had first came into the room. His color was better. He was really smiling. He was eating. He didn’t appear weighed down with worry or sadness.  
  
“I’m changing my name legally,” Kiki told him. “ By the time I finish this residency and get my full license, it will say, ‘Lauren Katherine Baldwin, M.D.’”  
  
“I’m so proud of you,” Franco smiled.  
  
“I’m so happy you’re my dad,” Kiki repeated. “I hate that you’re going through this, but I’m glad we found out.”  
  
“Baby girl, you make going through this worth all the pain and suffering. Both of you do,” he turned to his wife. “Two of my three girls. I love you more than you’ll ever know.”


	20. Chapter 20

After Margaux Dawson, district attorney, and Norah Buchanan, counsel for the defense, made their opening statements, Judge Violet Strickland asked the DA to call her first witness, which was Dr. Griffin Munro. The courtroom proceedings were closed to the public and no witness was allowed to hear testimony from a previous witness.  
  
After he was sworn in, Margaux said, “Please state your name, occupation, and relationship with the victim.”  
  
“Dr. Griffin Munro, neurologist. I was on the team that diagnosed and treated Mr. Baldwin when he was admitted to the emergency room.”  
  
“How would you describe Mr. Baldwin’s condition upon admittance to the hospital?”  
  
“He was unconscious, being treated for status epilepticus, which is basically a grand mal seizure that has lasted ten minutes or more. Imaging revealed multiple skull fractures, hemorrhaging on the brain, and, ultimately the discovery of a brain tumor transversing the temporal and occipital lobes. The tumor was unrelated to the injuries sustained prior to admission. We had to perform a craniotomy to extract bone fragments, contain the bleeding, and we also removed as much of the tumor as we safely could.”  
  
“How would you describe the presenting injuries?”  
  
“Injuries were consistent with being struck multiple times with a heavy, blunt object. Hemorrhaging was likely responsible for the intense seizure activity.”  
  
“Is there anything else that is relevant for the jury or court officials to know?”  
  
“Yes, the patient has a history significant for removal of a prior tumor from the frontal lobe. Based on biopsy of the second tumor, he was diagnosed with brain cancer. He is currently undergoing radiation therapy and platelet infusions. He is weak, susceptible to infection, and, in my professional opinion should not be required to appear in court. If he must, he should be protected by sterile clothing, a surgical cap, and a face mask. Questioning should be brief since exposure to public settings and strangers poses a significant risk to his recovery.”  
  
“Thank you, Dr. Munro. I have no further questions at this time, but reserve the right to recall this witness.”  
  
“Ms. Buchanan?” Judge Strickland addressed Jason’s lawyer.  
  
“I have no questions for this witness at this time.”  
  
“You may step down. Ms. Dawson, please call your next witness.”  
  
Dr. Kevin Collins was called and sworn in.  
  
“Please state your name, occupation, and relationship to Mr. Baldwin.”  
  
“Dr. Kevin Collins, psychiatrist. I am a colleague of Mr. Baldwin’s at General Hospital and I have also treated him as a patient for a considerable amount of time. As his doctor, I am on the team that assessed his mental status after surgery and throughout treatment.”  
  
“Without breaking any confidentiality ethics, how would you describe his initial state after surgery?”  
  
“When he initially woke up from anesthesia, he was extremely disoriented and had no memory of the attack. He has had incidents of aphasia, or the inability to recall words. Aphasia was not present prior to his surgery, so it’s possible that it was due to traumatic brain injury or the removal of the tumor. With the combination of factors, neither can be excluded as a cause.”  
  
“For those who do not know what aphasia is, can you describe it in a simple way?”h  
  
“Certainly. Let’s say he wanted to say the word ‘cat,’ but could not produce it. He might remain quiet and frustrated. He might say a related word such as ‘dog.’ He might say a word with a similar form or sound such as ‘catch.’ He may get across what he’s trying to say using a descriptor such as ‘it purrs.’ He might say ‘like Oliver’ because he had a cat named Oliver as s child, hypothetically. I don’t know that he had a cat named Oliver, I am using it to describe the condition.”  
  
“How does this effect any testimony he might give?”  
  
“If he is questioned, it will be stressing. Anyone asking questions will have to be aware of the condition and patient with his answers. If it’s important for him to state a word correctly, he may need help and this should not be considered ‘leading the witness.’ Nor should anyone abuse the condition to sway his testimony away from the few things he remembers.”  
  
“Thank you, Dr. Collins for your explanation. Upon further examination of the patient, has there been any discovery relevant to this case?”  
  
“Very little,” Kevin answered. “He has almost no memory of what happened.”  
  
“Can you tell us what he had remembered?”  
  
“Objection!” Ms. Buchanan stood. “Hearsay.”  
  
“Your Honor, this is expert witness testimony. As Dr. Collins explained, Mr. Baldwin may not be able to express for himself what he remembers. This is the best way to get a clear understanding of what he has specifically stated. Practicality should be exercised in this exceptional circumstance.”  
  
“I’ll allow it due to exceptional circumstances,” Judge Strickland decided. “You may answer the question, Dr. Collins.”  
  
Kevin nodded. “He told me Jason told him he should be dead. He believed it had been said to him recently. I questioned him about further memories. He remembered that Jason was drunk and he believed he was a danger to Jake and his infant daughter, Imogene. He turned to put Imogene in her bassinet and felt like his head split open. That was all he could recall.”  
  
“Thank you, Dr. Collins.” Ms. Dawson reserved the right to recall him.  
  
Ms Buchanan approached him. “Dr. Collins, you know Mr. Baldwin very well, correct?”  
  
“Yes. Primarily in a doctor/patient relationship.”  
  
“I, of course, would never ask you to break confidentiality. However, how would you, as a casual witness to both parties, describe the relationship between Mr. Baldwin and Mr. Morgan?”  
  
Kevin considered his words carefully. “I think it is fair to say that it is well-known that Jason hates Franco. It’s public record that Franco had a frontal lobe tumor removed several years ago. This altered his personality and behavior significantly. He’s not the same person who had issues with Jason. He has been trying to peacefully coexist with Jason. He currently works as an art therapist at General Hospital and had shown great success with his clients, including one of Jason’s sons.”  
  
“Is it possible that Mr. Baldwin provoked Mr. Morgan on the morning of the incident?”  
  
“I was not there,” Kevin answered. “I cannot answer that. Mr. Morgan was found to have a blood alcohol content of 0.12 which is legally drunk. I would not have let him take a child for the day either.”  
  
“No further questions at this time,” Ms. Buchanan said, realizing that one of the few straws she had to grasp for Jason’s flimsy defense had backfired. “ Your Honor, I would like to request a recess or an adjournment for the day so that I may confer with my client and the district attorney.”  
  
“We will reconvene at 9:00 tomorrow morning,” Judge Strickland ordered.


	21. Chapter 21

Norah approached Margaux. “I can’t win this case. I think Jason is realizing that what I tried to tell him is true. Is there any way you could offer a plea to keep Mr. Baldwin and the little boy from taking the stand?”  
  
“I already offered a plea deal and he refused.”  
  
“He’s realized the error of his decision.”  
  
“I will see what I can do. Convince your client.”  
  
************************  
  
“There is no way to win this,” Monica told Jason. “You have to take whatever plea you can get. You’ve become just like AJ with the alcohol. You’re going to wind up dead or killing somebody else.”  
  
“And he gets to walk free and raise my son?”  
  
“He’s not legally your son,” Nora reminded him.  
  
“Jason, I love you. I don’t want to see you in jail. But your blood alcohol indicated you were drunk and absolutely in no condition to take Jake anywhere. You acted in rage. Jake’s testimony alone will dig your grave.”  
  
“I have seen the statement that Jake gave to Detective Chase. It’s very compelling,” Norah told him. “Do you really want that articulate little boy to get on the stand and recall how you came into their home drunk, were belligerent, knocked out a man who was holding a baby, then bludgeoned him until you fractured his skull and caused a massive seizure? You will not be acquitted.”  
  
“Do you want Jake to have to live with being the one to send you to jail?” Monica asked. “And trust me, you don’t want Franco on that stand right now. He’s very sick, very weak, and the jury will find him sympathetic,” Monica added. “Particularly  if he tries to say the word ‘cat’ and they think he can’t because he had massive hemorrhaging due to your attack.”  
  
“I didn’t give them cancer,” Jason argued.  
  
“No, but you beat a man who previously had a brain tumor to the point of fracturing his skull. It’s not a good look.”  
  
“I never believed that stupid brain tumor story,” Jason protested.  
  
“You don’t really have the option to argue with proven scientific facts,” Monica told him. “I’m on your side, but to the point that I want you to get help.”  
  
Margaux knocked on the door.  
  
Norah let her in. “What can you offer?”  
  
She looked at Jason. “You take this deal or you’re looking at spending a very long time in prison.”  
  
“Let me hear it,” Jason said.  
  
“You will plead guilty to one count of DUI, two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of attempted murder.”  
  
“I thought a plea was to reduce the charges,” Jason said, taken aback.  
  
“This case is in the bag,” Margaux told him. “But, I’m feeling generous. We’ll drop the DUI and assault charges. That gives you two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and one count of attempted murder. You have to change your plea and make an allocution in court explaining your actions and guilt. Your mother has told me there is a history of alcoholism in your family. We will recommend that you be remanded to a rehabilitation facility until what time you are deemed eligible to be transferred to Pentonville. You will have no contact with any member of the Baldwin family. Fifteen years in prison, eligible for parole in eight. That is extremely generous given the evidence and your actions.”  
  
“I won’t even get to see my kids graduate from school.”  
  
“You could have killed an eight week old baby because of your drunken rage. Do you want to go back in front of a jury and have the judge slam you with 30 years?”  
  
“I have tried to explain this to you,” Norah said. “You can’t get out of this. The case that the state has made is solid as a rock. They did everything by the book.”  
  
“Fine. I’ll take the deal,” Jason agreed. “His eyes were cold as ice.”


	22. Chapter 22

Elizabeth’s instinct was to be infuriated that Jason was getting what she thought was a lenient deal through pleading guilty. But when she considered that Jake and Franco would not have to testify, she began to accept the idea.  
  
She and Jake took seats on the side of the prosecution. She held Imogene in a white blanket covered with pink unicorns. She wanted the judge to see Jason’s other victim. They were soon joined by Scotty and Kiki. After Jason made his statement, any of them would have the option to make a vicitim impact statement. Scotty encouraged this and had blatantly told her that making Imogene visible to the court would negatively impact Jason.  
  
Jason entered the courtroom with his lawyer and an officer of the court. Monica, Sonny, Carly, Michael, and Sam were already seated to show their support. Elizabeth could not stand the sight of any of them, with the exception of Monica who it turned out had been instrumental in keeping Jake and Franco from having to take the stand.  
  
The proceedings were called to order and everyone sat when instructed by the judge to do so. “I understand that Mr. Morgan would like to change his plea. Ms. Dawson, is the DA willing to accept a change in plea?”  
  
Margaux stood as she was addressing the judge. “Yes, Your Honor. In the best interest of keeping Mr. Baldwin from having to testify while he is also battling cancer and a seizure disorder, and in order to not traumatize Jake Webber by compelling him to testify, we have agreed to drop charges to two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and one count of attempted murder. I have given your office a copy of the proposal for reprimand.”  
  
Judge Strickland turned to the defense. “Ms. Buchanan, do you have anything to add?”  
  
Norah and Jason stood. “The defense is appreciative of the reduced charges. Mr. Morgan has prepared a statement.  
  
“Jason Morgan, how do you plead to the charges of two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and one count of attempted murder?”  
  
“Guilty.”  
  
“And do you have a statement prepared?”  
  
“Yes, Your Honor.” Jason remained standing, looking only at the judge, refusing to acknowledge Franco’s family.  “Alcoholism has affected my family. Despite multiple warnings from my wife, mother, and friends, I have been drinking excessively for months. I started when going through a rough personal situation and found myself addicted. I know this is not an excuse, but I did want to share the background.  
  
“I did, in fact, show up at my son’s home, believing I could take him for the day. Franco, Mr. Baldwin, was bathing his young daughter in the kitchen. He was alarmed when he smelled the alcohol on me and he told me I could not take Jake anywhere in my condition.  
  
“I have issues with anger management. I was enraged that he was trying to keep my biological child from me. I see now that he had Jake’s safety in mind. At the time, I confronted him, yelled at him, and he asked me to stop yelling because of the baby. He had wrapped her in a towel and turned to put her in a crib. As soon as he turned around, I grabbed a frying pan from the dish rack. I have no excuse. I was in a full rage and I struck him from behind and he fell to the floor, along with the baby. I continued to hit him and I did want him to die.  
  
“My son begged me to stop. Franco started to have seizures and I was startled. At that time, I felt a blow to my own head which I later learned came from Jake hitting me with a marble rolling pin. I am remorseful that I caused Imogene Baldwin to fall and that I frightened Jake to the point that he was compelled to attack me to protect his stepfather. I am remorseful that Mr. Baldwin received skull fractures and that hemorrhaging caused his severe seizures. I am sorry that this family had endured so much pain and stress at my hand. That’s all I have to say.”  
  
“You may be seated, Judge Strickland said. “I understand the family would like to make victim impact statements, Ms. Dawson.”  
  
“Yes, Your Honor, Elizabeth Baldwin, Jake Webber, Scotty Baldwin, and Lauren Katherine Baldwin will be speaking.”  
  
“Proceed.”  
  
Elizabeth stood, holding Imogene who was pleasantly cooing. “My family has been in torment since this happened. Of course, we all acknowledge that Jason Morgan is not responsible for Franco having another brain tumor. However, he was well informed of the tumor that was removed a few years ago, so bashing in his skull in front of my children was a despicable action.  
  
“He had to have skull fragments removed from brain matter. There was hemorrhaging on his brain. He continues to have seizures. He remembers Jason telling him he should be dead. I am certain that my husband, son, and entire family will never feel safe as long as Jason Morgan is a free man. I am livid that he endangered this baby when she was only eight weeks old. She has recovered, as far as we know, but given her young age, we may see developmental delays as she gets older. He poses a threat to my entire family and I want him kept as far from us as long as possible. Thank you.”  
  
Jake stood when Elizabeth sat down. “My stepfather Franco is my best friend. He always helps me when I am upset or have a problem or just can’t do my homework. He only tried to protect me from Jason Morgan, who I will never accept as my father. Jason is angry, violent, and dangerous. I don’t want to ever see him again. I want Franco to adopt me because he’s the only father I want or need. Thank you.” He sat down and Elizabeth squeezed his hand.  
  
Scotty stood and introduced himself. “Franco is my son. He’s a good person with a loving heart. He loves all of Elizabeth’s children and would do anything to protect his wife and their family. Jason Morgan is a rage-filled lunatic who deserves the maximum penalty to be locked away to keep others safe.” Scotty took his seat.  
  
Kiki stood. “Franco Baldwin is my biological father. We were kept apart by my mother and her lies for a very long time. Since we have known each other, we have become very close. He has been an encourager, a friend, a voice of reason, and the most supportive person in my life, both emotionally and financially. I am currently a resident at General Hospital because he pays my tuition and never lets me give up on myself or my future. I have not known my father long enough. I want him to grow old with Elizabeth and hold his grandchildren and love them with the intensity that he loves all of us. As long as Jason Morgan is free, my father, my entire family is at risk. Thank you.”  
  
“Would anyone else like to speak?” Judge Strickland asked.  
  
Norah had advised all of Jason’s supporters to remain quiet if they wanted to see him free within a decade.  
  
The room was quiet.  
  
“Mr. Morgan, please stand.”  
  
Jason stood with his attorney.  
  
“You have been found guilty on all charges: two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and one count of attempted murder. However, I am very troubled that your rage and actions could have  
easily brought you here on two counts of murder if you had not been stopped by a resourceful child putting himself in danger just to keep you from killing a man right in front of him. You just got lucky that you didn’t kill or permanently damage Imogene Baldwin—as far as we know.  
  
“I recognize that alcoholism is a disease. However, I cannot go along with the DA’s recommendation that you are remanded to a rehabilitation facility. You will have access to medical treatment to overcome alcohol withdrawal, if needed, in the state prison.  
  
“Your sentence is 25 years in Pentonville with eligibility for parole in 12 years. You will be taken into custody immediately.”  
  
There was an audible response from those in attendance on both sides. Carly and Sam could be heard crying while Sonny threatened that the sentence would never last. He was ordered to be removed from the court and a armed guard forcefully took him from the proceedings.  
  
“Order!” Judge Strickland demanded. She instructed a bailiff to remove Jason immediately to be held to wait for transfer.  
  
With the pounding of the judge’s gavel, Elizabeth let out a sigh of relief. Her husband and children were safe now. One battle was over.


	23. Chapter 23

Elizabeth was spending quality time with Imogene while Kiki took her dad to the hospital for radiation treatment. She felt like she had somewhat neglected the baby, even though she had done her best to be what and who everyone needed. She was amazed at how much the boys had stepped up with doing chores and just being completely respectful that Franco had been very sick. If there were problems among them, they were working them out themselves, or talking to Drew.  
  
She gave Imogene the last of her bottle and patted her on the back to elicit a small baby sized burp. “Your daddy is going to be better soon,“ she told the little girl. Imogene’s eyes were getting darker. Elizabeth was certain they would eventually be a deep brown. She had a head full of light brown hair. Her complexion was porcelain just like Elizabeth’s, but her cheeks looked rosey and her tiny lips were very pink.  
  
Imogene started to get fussy, so she put her baby down in the living room crib. Baby things and medical equipment seemed to take up every spare space in the house now. Elizabeth sat back on the couch for a moment, enjoying the quiet. She felt more at peace knowing Jason was locked up securely.  
  
Her doorbell rang, so she got up to answer it. Their house had become a revolving door of concerned friends and family. To her surprise, there was a giant bouquet of flowers on the other side.  
  
“Elizabeth Baldwin?” A man whose face was hidden by the arrangement asked.  
  
“That’s me.“  
  
“These are for you,“ he said. “Should I set them down for you?“  
  
“Sure,“ she answered, pointing toward the kitchen table. She grabbed a five from a drawer where they had stashed some cash to use for tips to give to him and thanked him. As he left, she read the card.  
  
“Date night. Metro Court. Honeymoon suite.” It was signed with an F, a heart, and an E. She smiled. This was a complete surprise to her. She pondered the idea of the honeymoon suite. Was Franco feeling romantic? Amorous even? They had not even attempted to be intimate these last few weeks since the last time, related or not, had ended with him in the ICU.  
  
She wondered what she was supposed to do with Imogene for the night. She assumed she would find out soon enough if Franco was handling the surprise. She checked to see that her daughter was asleep and headed upstairs to pack some clothes and anything else she thought might be useful. They had been sleeping downstairs, but most of their things were still in the original bed room. She reached down and felt her legs. Yep, they were shaved – one less thing to worry about.  
  
She went back downstairs to gather some things for Franco – his medications, his favorite pillow, a variety of things he could wear, or not, to bed. She also grabbed an extra blanket because he was still cold all the time and even the Metro Court was terrible about providing guests with sufficient blankets.  
  
She soon heard a knock on the door. She grabbed her now fairly heavy suitcase and rolled it with her to answer.  
  
“I am a glorified babysitter,” Drew announced. “At your service for the evening.”  
  
“I hope you don’t mind that I tagged along,” Kim said.  
  
“It’s wonderful!” Elizabeth told her. She had been very relieved when Kim turned her attention from Julian back to Drew.  
  
“Where’s my favorite special delivery?” she asked, scanning the room for the baby.  
  
“Sleeping right now. She just had a bottle. Her schedule is posted on the refrigerator.”  
  
“I cannot wait to hold that baby and do all those new mommy things with her,” Kim gushed.  
  
 Elizabeth laughed. “You know, she is a little on the spoiled side already.”  
  
“I can’t imagine why,“ Kim quipped, peeking into the crib.  
  
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?“ Drew asked. He took her suitcase to the car and loaded it for her. “What do you have in there?” he asked.  
  
“Oh, just stuff,“ she answered, deciding it was more fun to let him use his imagination.  
  
She got in on the driver’s side and checked for her purse. She had gotten into a habit of leaving it there in case she had to make a quick trip to the hospital, pharmacy, or grocery store. Drew held the door open long enough to tell her to enjoy her evening, and then he closed the door for her.  
  
Elizabeth headed straight to the Metro Court.


	24. Chapter 24

Elizabeth’s mind whirred with possibilities as she drove. She had spent time researching ways to be comfortably intimate with a man who had cancer and suffered from fatigue and other symptoms. She had a few surprises up her sleeve, if Franco was indeed inviting her to the hotel for a romantic tryst.  She arrived and checked in. The receptionist smiled as she gave her a key to the room. “Second honeymoon,“ she commented.  
  
“It’s a surprise to me,“ Elizabeth smiled. She didn’t bother looking for a luggage cart. She just dragged her suitcase to the nearest elevator and headed to the top floor of the hotel. She opened the door to the room and called her husband’s name.  
  
“I’m in here,“ she heard him answer from the bathroom. She walked toward the sound of his voice, noticing that there were more flowers and a tray already delivered from room service. The bathroom door was wide open. There was a unique combination of eucalyptus, spearmint, lavendar, and bergamot.  
  
“You are completely indecent,“ she teased, walking into the room to find him soaking in a tub, head resting on a bath pillow against the back of the tub and his arms resting on the curved sides that were designed for that purpose. “No bubbles,“ she clicked her tongue, surveying his naked body, a body she still found glorious even though he had lost some weight,  lost some muscle tone, and had patchy hair on his head. Yes, Franco‘s hair put up a good fight. It was trying to return to its former glory, at least in areas where he wasn’t getting direct radiation treatments. There were still and forever would be the scars that surgery had left.  
  
She inhaled, “What’s the aroma?” she asked.  
  
He pointed to a box of essential oils. “Kiki helped me get this ready. She said to soak in Epson salt.” There was a small bag on the counter. “And lavender. I got the box for relaxation, wellness, energy, and anxiety. I just used some of all of them.”  
  
Elizabeth saw there was steam on the mirror and she set down the box of essential oils. “Hmmm, how are those relaxation and energy oils doing combined?”  
  
“It’s wonderful,” he dragged out the words slowly. “But slippery. Kiki said the Epson salt would draw out toxins, but not to bust my ass trying to get out of here,” he laughed.  
  
“Hmmm,” Elizabeth said. “That’s an awfully big tub. You look kind of lonely.”  
  
“So lonely,” he agreed. “Did you see the envelope?”  
  
“No,” she said, then noticed an unmarked white envelope next to the box of essential oils and bag of Epson salt.  
  
“There’s a note in there for you.” He continued to just lay back in the tub, barely moving, barely opening his eyes when he spoke. She could tell those relaxation oils were working well.  
  
Elizabeth picked up the envelope and saw that it was a printout of his latest test results, the parameters of the effects of the radiation, and a complete blood count. On the bottom was an arrow with the message “Turn me over,” written in what was obviously a doctor’s handwriting. She had years of experience deciphering such penmanship.  
  
She turned it over and saw one word written in big letters, underlined, followed by exclamation points: Remission!!! It was signed by the oncologist. “Oh my God!” she screamed clutching the paper to her heart. It was the best word she had ever seen in her life. Tears filled her eyes, “This is amazing!” She cried out in joy. “And you did all of this to surprise me with a good news?”  
  
“Mmmm hmmm,” he hummed.  She could tell that his body was letting go of so much tension. She wondered how long he had been in that hot tub since there was a bit of pink hue to his flesh. “I’m so lonely,“ he teased her. “It’s really hot in here.“  
  
“It’s going to get hotter!” she said, practically ripping off her own clothes. She carefully stepped into the tub, remembering Kiki’s warning and eased down beside him. The hot tub was large enough that they both could fit comfortably. She laid her head on his chest while he wrapped an arm around her. She heard how steady his breaths were and took in how heavy his eyelids were. She ran her hand across his chest and could actually feel that he was carrying less tension. “I think you’re going to fall asleep,” she said.  
  
“Now I know why people drown in bathtubs,” he agreed lazily.  
  
“You’re not going to sleep after giving me that news!” she told him. Elizabeth sloshed water about as she grabbed a washcloth and some gel soap. “I think I can wake you up,” she said. Franco had no idea how his hot tub surprise was going to play right into some of the things she had been reading about.


	25. Chapter 25

Elizabeth began to rub the washcloth over him. He was already so relaxed that she joked he had turned into a pile of goo. He barely grunted at her description and she washed his face, his arms, and his chest. “I think we need a little less water,“ she observed, and she let the tub drain for just a bit, leaving them in a more shallow pool.  
  
“I have a big surprise for you,“ she said seductively.  
  
“Really?“ He asked, tracing his fingers along her belly. She had already gotten her pre-baby figure back.  
  
She leaned over and whispered in his ear, “I’ve never done this before,“ she put her hand between his legs. “I am going to suck your dick until you are coming so hard that we might die in this tub.”  
  
His eyes flew open, “No,” he said. “No, I love you, I would never make you do that.”  
  
She immediately realized he was remembering his past experiences as a child and the degradation he suffered. She was going to get him away from that mindset as quickly as possible. “Baby, I’m an adult. I want to do this. I want to taste you, the way you have done for me.”  He was very skilled at providing her with immense pleasure orally. She had never been brazen enough to reciprocate and he had never even hinted that he wanted her to. He seemed pleased enough with the way her body squirmed with delight and she would hold his head down demanding more without even saying a word.  
  
“Please,” she said. “I just want to try it. If I don’t like it, I’ll stop.”  
  
She saw the hesitation in his eyes. “I know you would never, ever hurt me.” She began to rub his neck with her hands, keeping eye contact. “I want you to feel the way you make me feel. Just think about you and me,” she whispered. “Push everything else out of your mind. Just focus on me.”  
  
He took a deep breath and she began to nibble on his neck. “Just you and me,” he whispered.  
  
“You and me,” she reminded him, determined the kick that demon out of their bedroom – or bathtub – forever. She let her hair fall over his chest, tickling him and she made her way with a trail of kisses to his lower body. She paused long enough to grab a towel and put it under his knees to provide a cushion for her own knees and she continued toward her goal.  
  
She licked his knee and he actually giggled. “You like that?” She laughed, never realizing a knee could be an erogenous zone. She felt bolder, as he kept whispering, “You and me” every so often.  She reached between his legs and squeezed him very softly, just a tease to which he responded by taking a deep breath.  
  
He reached his hands to her hips and she playfully scolded him. “I’m not finished.“ She grabbed his hands and put them back on the armrests of the tub. “You have to be patient.” She went back to his right knee and flicked her tongue over it. He laughed again and she couldn’t help but laugh too. She then licked his right thigh all the way to his hip bone, traversed across his body and then down to his left knee.  
  
“You and me,” he whispered and she could tell he was enjoying her new found skill set.  
  
She worked on giving him pleasure with her hands while she let her mouth fill with saliva again. Then she began to do what she never thought she would do. She cradled his penis in one hand while covering it with kisses. He was very well endowed and she wasn’t sure she was up for this challenge, but she wasn’t going to give up now. “You’re amazing,“ she said in a low voice, “So big, so beautiful.“  
  
He groaned at her machinations.  She focused her lips and tongue around the tip of his shaft, giving her tongue quite a workout. He was squirming underneath her and she felt his hands in her hair. “I want to taste you.“ She shielded him from her teeth by using her lips to soften her grasp and she took part of him into her mouth. He was erect and she swished and flicked, swished and flicked, feeling him start to climax. She put her hands around his hips and took in as much as she could handle.  
  
She could tell he was fighting a release, but she worked harder to make it happen. He made a sound she had never heard before as he filled her mouth. His hips were bucking underneath her and she realized this was one of the greatest sexual experiences of her life. She let go of his shaft and kissed his mouth, letting him taste himself. “Just you and me,” she whispered.  
  
He filled her mouth with his tongue and worked it around, as if trying to clean himself out of her. She swallowed and their tongues engaged in a playful dance. She skillfully used her foot to hit the drain and water began disappearing from the tub. She knew it would make things easier for both of them at the moment.  
  
His hands were between her legs, rubbing her gently at first, then more passionately. She felt herself open for him and he felt inside her, teasing and sliding his fingers in and out until she was thoroughly wet and ready to take him as she always had before.  
  
“You and me,” she whispered as he slid into her.  
  
He fumbled for her breasts and his hands were all over her bare torso and back as he squirmed and bucked underneath her. His eyes were wide open, staring into her eyes. “You and me,” he said, strained.  
  
She rode him without losing eye contact until she had to close her eyes as she yelped with the primal satisfaction he gave her.  
  
They both were breathless, panting when they collapsed into the mostly drained tub. Elizabeth was more than satisfied with the results of her experiment and she was certain Franco had been satisfied as never before. She laid on top of him, every once in a while nibbling his neck or earlobe while he ran his fingers lightly over her back.  
  
“How are we going to get out of this tub?” he asked.  
  
“Carefully,” she laughed, grabbing a towel from nearby. She first dried off his body, then her own, then the hot tub itself. She dropped the damp towel into the tub and used it as leverage to stand. Then she helped him to his feet. They stepped out of the tub and put on Metro Court robes.  
  
“That was —“ he started.  
  
“Amazing!” she finished. “Now that we have enjoyed this hot tub beyond any of the manufacturers’ recommendations, I think we should try that giant bed in the main room. If you’re up for some more.”  
  
He took her face in his hands and kissed her with a sweet gentleness that had the passion, if not the intensity of what they had just experienced.  
  
She took his hand and he followed her to the bed.  
  
“Just you and me,” he said.  
  
“Just you and me,” she repeated.  
  
—END—


End file.
